#Thank you again for your interest in Octo!

[factual-fantasy]

My interest in your Davy Jones Cookie(/j) deepens

(Post in question)

AAAAA I'm so glad you're interested in him! :DD I can give you the lore scoop if you're up to a lengthy read! :}}}

OK SO- The intended story behind that- is that the whole crew was attacked by another ship. There were many injuries across the crew, Octo included. Being a very private person by nature he tended to all his injuries himself. Of which he had a particularly bad crack on his abdomen that was likely going to take at least a few weeks to fully heal..

But after only a few days.. most of the crew had recovered and were back up on their feet. Which meant they were back to their usual squabbles and arguments. Typical troubles and things began to happen around the ship that could have really used Octo's help to clear up.. Seafoam clearly needed help managing the crew.. But Octo was still recovering.. He felt horrible. The rest of the crew recovered so quickly and yet he's still stuck to his hammock.. all because of this stupid crack..

.."Screw it." He thought. As long as he wasn't too hard on it, the crack would heal over time. So despite still having a very bad wound.. Octo got up and continued with his usual duties and helping out the crew.

"Tell Seafoam the truth" The lie he told there was telling everyone he was fine. Some people would ask if he was okay or mention he seemed tired. He would always brush them off and tell them he's fine. He'd even brush off Seafoam..

Now normally this wouldn't seem like.. that bad of a lie to tell, right.? Well it was a big deal to lie to Seafoam. As this post shows, they've been best friends for a really long time. And during that time Seafoam has learned that Octo tends to hide a lot of things about himself. His opinions, his emotions,, his injuries.. He's talked to Octo about it. About how its really bad for him in the long run to hide everything..

He told Octo that he can always go to Seafoam about anything. He will never judge. And he told Octo that if he is ever injured and needs time to recover? Seafoam would give him all the time he needs, no questions asked.

Octo promised he wouldn't hide stuff this severe from Seafoam. From his best friend. But there he was. Walking around on an injury that can quickly worsen and become fatal is he isn't careful.

And fatal it almost became. Becuase the crew was attacked once more by another ship. And during that attack, someone struck Octo on that same wound. Cracking it open much wider and causing him to collapse. It almost killed him instantly, the crew was afraid he wouldn't make it..

Thankfully, he survived. And while Seafoam was so relieved to see that he was ok... he was also very upset. The crew tended to the crack and saw that it was actually an extended crack. A wound that has already been there for weeks.. only to be damaged again and elongated..

Octo was gonna have some explaining to do-

[mashed-potato101]

Imagine This...

| Twisted Wonderland |

Cleaner Shrimps and Eels have a symbiotic relationship: The shrimp cleans the Eels’ teeth and removes any parasites, bacteria, insects, etc from the eels. In return, the eels give the shrimp protection and a free meal. Since Floyd gave you the nickname Shrimpy, you thought of an interesting idea.

Masterlist

A/N: I have finally gained motivation to write again! Be expected to see more writing soon! :D

The two tweels rest inside their dorm room, doing their own thing: Jade was taking care of his succulents as Floyd played on his phone. Their heads turned to the door when they heard a knock. Jade opened the door to see your figure in front of him.

“Oya, Prefect? What brings you here?”

“Well, I read somewhere about this relationship between shrimps and eels. I then remembered that Floyd calls me Shrimpy and, well…”

You lift your both hands to both twins to reveal a toothpaste and two toothbrushes. The two of them gave each other a look and slowly grinned, showing their sharp teeth.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

You are gently brushing Floyd's pointed teeth while sitting on his lap in bed. You tried to avoid scrubbing them hard. Floyd is quite pleased and relaxed; to your surprise, he doesn't move as much as you had anticipated.

 “Floyd, please stop squeezing me…”

“Sorry Shrimpy. You look cute and squeezable, kehehe~”

Next up, Jade bent down on your level as you began brushing his teeth. As a gentleman, he stood still and didn’t move a muscle.

“Tell me if I’m scrubbing too hard.”

“You are doing good, y/n. This is perfect.”

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

“GAH! Floyd!” yelped Riddle, “W-What are you doing here?”

Sure this whole thing is quite unnecessary, but you thought it was an interesting experience. But if you think this is a one-time thing, you’re dead wrong. Once you started something with the Leech Twins, there’s no going back. Whenever one gets dirty or so, both would approach you.

One time, you sat with Riddle, Trey, and Cater during lunch hour since the Adeuce duo and Grim got in trouble for sleeping in Trein’s class. While having a conversation, Floyd popped out of nowhere, startling everyone at the table.

“Eh, I’m here for little shrimpy.”

You looked at the tall eel, “Oh, uh. What’s up?”

“Something got stuck in my teeth. Can you get it out?”

You let out a sigh and reached into your pocket, revealing a floss you have. You had a feeling something like this would happen and glad you trusted your gut. The three boys at the table were shocked as they watched you flossing Floyd’s teeth in front of them. Trey is mentally punching air: He wanted to be the one to get his teeth cleaned by you.

Another time you were walking back to Ramshackle dorm after Floyd dragged you to his Basketball club. You stumbled upon Jade, who came back hiking from his club. You noticed a speck of dirt on his cheek, possibility from gathering mushrooms. You walked towards Jade who noticed your appearance and took out your handkerchief. You softly wiped his cheek, “You have something on your face, Jade.”

Jade looked at you with wide eyes then smiled, “How careless of me. Thank you, prefect.”

Floyd would occasionally drag you to Monstro Lounge, keeping you there while he and Jade were on their working shifts. He kept you either at the bar where Jade works, in a table were customers supposed to be, or in the VIP room in case they both needed you. You were either doing your homework, studying, or helping the Monstro Lounge, which Azul didn’t mind and paid you with no acknowledgment of your reasoning. Azul didn’t understand the sudden relationship between you and the tweels, and why they both grew very comfortable with you. 

“Because Little Shrimpy wants to take care of us,” Floyd replied, “Neh neh, isn’t that right, Shrimpy?”

You, Floyd, and Azul were in the VIP room during Floyd's break. You sat on Floyd’s lap, facing towards him on one of the couches as the octo-merman organize his contracts.

Azul looked at the two of you and raised a brow, “I still don’t understand why you’re spoiling on the twins lately, prefect. Care explaining?”

You only said nothing as you wiped Floyd’s face clean. Floyd let out a giggle as you squeezed both of his cheeks, smiling at his adorable face. Azul could only watch in envy, “I want to be taken care of too…”

“Get your own Shrimpy.”

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

Similar to the shrimps and eels, the tweels also returned the favor. When it comes to protection, the two always kept their eyes on you whenever you were nearby.

Once, three Heartslabyul students tried to fight you and Grim when you accidentally bumped into them. Grim put out a fighting stance as you kept apologizing to not start a fight. Out of nowhere, the same three boys went pale and ran away, apologizing out loud to you and your furry companion. Grim stood there in confusion then laughed. 

“Nyahaha! That’s right, fear the Great Grim, you cowards!”

You felt a presence or two behind you. Suspicious towards to boys’ reaction, you turned your back to see the reasoning.

“Ah. Floyd, Jade.”

The two tall eels stood in front of you with a grin. “Hello, prefect. We came by to see how you’re doing.”

Floyd then lifted you with a squeeze. “Shrimpy~ I’m bored. Let’s do something.” He dragged you somewhere, leaving Grim and Jade, who shook his head.

Remember when I said how Floyd would drag you to his basketball club? This would happen whenever he’s in a good mood. He wants you to watch him play as he shows off. One time, you grew bored and dozed off. Not aware of your surrounding, you heard your name called. Snapping back to reality, you saw a basketball coming straight toward your face. You closed your eyes, waiting for an impact, but felt nothing. You slowly opened them to see a hand in front of you: It was Floyd, who caught the ball on time. He looked at you with a smile, “Hehe. Are you alright, Shrimpy?” You only nodded and thanked him. After that, he turned towards his club members with a terrifying look. “Now which one of you threw this ball?”

It is nice to have the two twins by your side. As long as you take good care of them, they will take care of you as well.

The whole gym fell silent: Ace and the others gulp in fear as Jamil sweatdropped. The poor freshman who accidentally threw the ball could only stay muted and shaken on his spot in horror.

Fortunately for him, you persuaded Floyd that there was no need to search for them because there was a possibility that they didn’t mean it, which was true. After you convinced him by complimenting his reflex and allowing him to squeeze you, Floyd’s mood lifted and smiled widely.

[alastor-simp]

How Do You Cheer Up/Apologize To Them After Making Them Upset - Azul Ashengrotto

"LET ME GO FLOYD!!!" You said as Floyd was squeezing you tightly in a bear hug, preventing you from entering Azul's office. You were in Mostro Lounge, wanting to speak to Azul about yesterday, and before you could knock on the door to his office, Floyd caught you and refused to release you. "Ehhh~ Why? Shrimpy-chan made Azul-chan upset yesterday, so I'm keeping you from making even sadder." Floyd tightened his hold on you, restricting your airflow and making you blue in the face. "That is enough, Floyd." Craning your head, you spotted Jade making his way towards the both of you, and thankfully, Floyd had released you from his death hug, allowing you to breath again. "Floyd, it is clear that the Prefect wants to meet with Azul to express their apologies for whatever had happened, and they can't do that with you hugging them." Floyd just shrugged and said whatever as you thanked Jade for helping you. Floyd and Jade went back to performing their duties as you knocked on the door and heard an "Enter".

You entered into the room and saw Azul sitting at his desk, working on his papers, not bothering to look up from what he was doing. "Azul?" You came closer, but Azul turned his chair around to look away from you, giving you hints he was still upset. Feeling dejected, you thought to leave, but you came to apologize and thats what you were going to do. "I understand you are still upset, but I wanted to apologize about yesterday. I know you dislike photos of yourself and I'm sorry I had taken one when you were in your Octopus form. I know how sensitive you are about your octo form, but I didn't take the photo of you to use it as blackmail or as a way to tease you". Tears started to fall down your cheeks as you continued your apology. "I took the photo because that was the first time your true form. You looked beautiful, and I panicked thinking I was probably never going to see your form again, so I took a photo, so I could keep it with me forever and make sure no one else saw it." Azul still had his back turned to you, but he was listening as his hand that was holding a pen stopped moving. Digging into your pocket, you placed your phone on his desk, that contained the photo. You told Azul he could do whatever he wanted with your phone and even lock it in his safe as long as Azul knew you were being sincere with your apology and not using the photo for wicked intentions. Stepping back, you began to head towards the door, until you heard a voice saying, "D-did you really find me b-beautiful?" You turned back to look at Azul, who had turned his chair back around, with tears staining his face. Smiling, you walked around his desk and approached him, and then slowly, you placed your hands on his cheeks, wiping his tears with your fingers and leaning closer to kiss his forehead. Azul jumped in shock, and his face turned flushed from the sensation of your lips on his forehead, then he saw you move back away and stare into his eyes. "You are beautiful to me Azul, inside and outside. I adore all of you, your smile, your hair, your voice, and especially your octopus form that you detest so much." Azul's mouth was agape like a fish, as he was left speechless by you, but his heart was melting at your sweet words. After about a few minutes of calming down his racing heart, Azul got up from his chair and hugged the daylights out of you, placing his head on your shoulder. "You are the most interesting human I have met, Angelfish. I also owe you an apology for my behavior over a simple photograph. I won't ask you to delete that photo, but I do want you to promise me one thing, and it doesn't involve a contract, I swear." You hugged him back, "Sure, anything?" Azul lifted his head from your shoulder and stared into your eyes with a loving expression. "Stay by my side … please." It took you a minute to process what Azul had said, but then after a few minutes, your hand had made its way to his cheek. "I will always be by your side, Azul." Azul flashed a smile and leaned closer, as his lips finally made contact with yours. Snickering sounds could be heard as the two eel twins had managed to open the door a crack, spying on your sweet moment with Azul.

[zenala-art]

Do you have an infodump on your captain Agent 4?

Firstly, thank you so much for the ask and interest!!

Secondly, I sure do! Conelia's my first and main Splatoon OC so she has. a lot. of lore, and I'll gladly infodump some stuff :D

Let's start with her general reference sheet! I think it makes for a nice introduction:

I think the first thing anyone asks (reasonably so) when I tell them that she's the captain is "Why not Agent 3?" In my agent story, Agent 3 is completely MIA since the end of Octo Expansion, and even without taking that into account, Conelia spends a lot more time with Marie and Callie than he (being very introverted) ever did, and she's definitely more dedicated to being a good fighter. So, when it came to choosing who's going to be the next captain, she was a very clear choice.

Being one of the captains of her competitive team, she was already used to this sort of responsability, too! The NSBS sure can sponsor her dream of being a professional competitive player, and this just meant more time to be spending with the Squid Sisters, which can't be a bad thing in her opinion.

Here's an overall of my (active) agents:

Asra and Radish are a bit outdated since I've added more interesting things to their lore since I made this picture, but the rest pretty much remains the same!

Conelia really enjoys Asra's company as her first pupil, being much more proactive and giving more pieces of random advice than we see the Captain do in the game. After the events of ROTM, the two of them very often communicate mostly through sign language, since it usually feels more comfortable for Asra (who is mostly nonverbal due to some circumstances in their life, but with Conelia they sometimes speak). She's super excited and wants to teach Asra everything she can, acknowledging that they "have a lot of potential".

She also has a long friendship history with both Agent 3 and Agent 8, but they might not be super relevant to the conversation at hand? I do have this relationship chart from some time ago that could be a fast, superficial view however (don't mind the old designs, drawings are a little old, but the info is still correct):

So yeah, if we talk about the general character, Conelia has most of the attributes usually associated with Agent 4 (the excitedness and general perceived vibe, the "always busy with school" aspect of it, living far from Inkopolis or Splatsville, etc). The most important aspect of her personal life that I feel affects how she handles leadership (and therefore her work as a captain) is having inattentive parents who forced her to be independent since way too young.

It took her some convincing from the Squid Sisters to accept recruiting a new agent, even though 8 is mostly not working with them anymore - she just wants to do everything herself all of the time, even though she knows that workload would be too much for her.

I won't go too far into detail on her personal life right now (or I'd make an actual essay here), but hopefully this infodump was interesting to you :D once again thank you for the interest and the excuse to dump about my ocs in public

[zephyrtheoctopie]

You seemed really excited to talk about your OCs last time, so I have elected to ask again! What's Octo Agent and 4's relationship like? They seem fairly prominent in this story, so it would be very cool to know :)

Another great ask!!

Four and Octo agent were actually friends long before Four became an agent. In between S1 and S2, Octo agent had gotten an apartment just outside of Inkopolis Square along with a part time job at Grizzco, where the two met for the first time. Four found themself enamored by OA and how different he looked from other inklings, yet was totally unaware that OA…was not in fact an inkling. OA didn’t really bother to tell them either, liking just being seen as an inkling like everyone else (even if this sort of validation came from deception).

Fast forward a bit in time, the Zapfish is stolen (again). OA’s called back to agent duty, but it’s clear this time he’s gonna need a plus 1 to help out.

He decided, what better plus one than your best friend? So he brung Four along with him to Octo Canyon, and BEGGED Marie to let them join the NSBS, which ultimately, she did. And this, Four became….Four!

The two began going on missions together, during which romantic feelings began flourishing on both ends for each-other. But neither of them wanted to admit it out of fear of rejection, which was ironic.

At the same time though, Four was beginning to get juuuust a little suspicious of OA. Those enemy octolings looked awfully familiar, don’t you think? But still, they were never quite able to put 2 and 2 together.

…Until Agent 8 came along.

But that’s a story (and an unfinished character design) for another day.

But TL;DR: Four is a best friend turned oblivious love interest, for now.

Thanks again for asking! ^^

[averageartistamber]

So, my thoughts on Side Order

Okay, so Side Order’s been out for a few days, so I may as well give out my thoughts on it. Obviously, this post is going to contain spoilers below as I go into more detail about my opinions and observations.

I’ve completed four runs so far (almost got five but failed near the end).

Overall, Side Order’s pretty good. It’s a lot of fun, a little rough in some areas, but worth the wait.

 First, let’s talk about mechanics.

Splatoon’s gameplay works well with a rogue-lite gameplay loop, and it’ll easily keep you occupied for at least a couple of hours (Some folks have 100% completed it on release day, but for the average player I’d reckon maybe 15-20 hours?). The permanent upgrade system allows a degree of control over the difficulty (even if it can be a grind to unlock things).

The chip system is cool, especially later on when you’ve made some really goofy yet strong builds. The Pearl Drone is some of the most fun stuff we’ve seen in the series so far. Letting her be almost as overpowered in the gameplay as she is in the lore is just really funny.

One thing that I feel does bring it down though, is the lack of variety. After a few hours you do start to notice that there’s only about five different floor objectives, and there’s not that much in terms of enemy variety either (although later floors add a mechanic where Battering Lentos can carry other Jelletons around on their backs…Which is a thing. Definitely would have preferred a few new guys instead.)  

As for the Jelletons…they’re…eh. They don’t really have the charm of the Octarians or Salmonids, but the devs seem to have intentionally singled out some of the worst aspects of those enemy rosters to design these dudes. With such a small bestiary, about half of them are annoying “screw those guys” (the flying sprinkler assholes and the Stinger But Even Worse dudes come to mind)…Which I’m not sure if that’s bad game design or really good game design honestly. They do their job as obstacles and video game enemies, and the designs are solid.

At least it’s not reskinned Octarians again.

There only really being five different bosses, with three in “rotation” (and one you only fight once), which honestly feels like a huge wasted opportunity. Would have been cool to have maybe a handful more options. Maybe even have an exclusive boss for each palette on Floor 20 where Eight has to fight a screwed-up version of whoever the palette represents. In this case Parallel Canon would be exclusive to Agent 4, and Marina would have a slightly buffed version of her fight, maybe with a different barrier mechanic to differentiate her from Overlorder.

And as always, the soundtrack absolutely slaps.

Not sure if I’m personally going to bother with 100% completion, since apparently the reward is a few secret lore files that I’ll probably find and read from the wiki or something.

Story, Lore and Characters

The story is serviceable, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from Splatoon’s storytelling at this point. There’s interesting stuff there which either isn’t explored in detail or is relegated to background lore files you can unlock and read. That being said, the lore we got is cool. Like, we all guessed that the Spire of Order was some kind of VR thing Marina made, and finding out she made it in order to heal victims of KamaboCo and restore the sanitised is both in-character and a very nice tying of ends from Octo Expansion.

I will say that if you haven’t played or are otherwise aware of the plot of Octo Expansion, some things might not make the most sense (ie. you’ll probably scratching your head over who the hell Acht is and why they’re neon green.) so it’s best experienced after reading or watching a video on the previous DLC to have the full context.

Thank Cod they didn’t make Marina the villain or have her be locked away for most of the game waiting to be rescued. Although she did get put under mind control, which I kinda expected…Seems to be at least one the Story Writer’s favourite trope at this point. Or just an odd choice of running gag. This story feels more character-focused than events and plot-focused, so not much really “happens”, but we get some substantial character interactions that make up for it.

The limited cast of characters works very well in the story’s favour. Adds to the weird lonely and isolated vibe of the Memverse. Pearl and Marina are great as usual, and there’s a surprising amount of scenes and dialogue for Pearlina shippers to lose their minds over. Acht/Dedf1sh is an effective straight man to all this, providing a foil to the other characters. The vibe of “Can we please talk about literally anything else” after the aggressive Pearlina banter is entertaining. It’s just really cool that the background musician characters are starting to get more relevance.

Cipher doesn’t do very much, but might have one of the best character designs in the franchise so far. It’s alright (I think the character uses It/It’s pronouns).

On the other hand, I personally think Order/Smollusk might be the weakest of the Splatoon big bads. They don’t really have the charisma and backstory intrigue of Octavio, the presence and build-up of Mr.Grizz (who to be fair had two a whole game prior to his stint as a villain) or the menace/“creep factor” of Commander Tartar.

In fact, Order kinda feels like a toned-down or Bowdlerised Tartar, as in which Order’s goal is similar and similarly horrifying, but they haven’t been getting away with it for god knows how long and you don’t ever see the result of their plans, (No ghastly Bad Ending cutscene of everyone getting their minds destroyed by the Memverse or anything), unless you count the thing they turned Marina into. I guess the whole Virtual Reality setting makes them feel like less of a threat? Maybe it’s just me.

And I dunno if this is just localisation weirdness, but did they HAVE to make his weakened form converse in Uwu-speak?

Although this seemingly isn’t what happens, I do quite enjoy the idea of Order/Smollusk slowly getting rehabilitated and redeemed as the gang hangs out with him (and kicks his ass) several times. Unfortunately, dude seems to be really clinging hard to the “Evil Overlord” shtick, which ultimately turns the character into a one-note laugh when we could’ve had a fun little arc.

One more thing about characters….

WHERE IN THE FRESHLY FRIED AND FILLETED FLIPPER-FLOPPER IS AGENT FOUR!?

The fact that they have a sort-of presence (being the Splattershot is explicitly called Agent Four’s Palette and not, like, Squidbeak Splatoon Palette, as well as the Parallel Canon boss) really seemed to be hinting at Agent Four making a physical appearance. Maybe it’s cut content? Maybe they’ll find their way into the Memverse in an update (like with Callie in 2’s Hero Mode)?

Them being the only Agent not to appear in Splatoon 3 just kinda sucks. Like, even Nintendo themselves seem to in on the joke with them being the un-favourite (see the “supposed to be a [BIG SHOT]” line from Pearl). But I really hope that one day Agent Four gets to be something that’s a bit more than a joke, y’know?

…So this ended up being way longer than I thought it would be. Might come back and maybe discuss some of the new lore a bit more, but that’s my thoughts about Side Order. I ended up really enjoying it, and I’m pretty excited to see if this leads to more experimental stuff with Splatoon going forwards. I’d give it a 7/10.

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 6: Merms

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs | Read MerMay Stories

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

The boat is crossing a stretch of open ocean. The sea floor beneath them is mostly sand with clusters of rocks and kelp. 

As the merms continue swimming, Chase dives down to grab some of the kelp, yanking it free and chewing on it. 

"Hey, can I have some?" Jack asks. Chase nods and hands it over. 

Jackie is getting better as he moves, hiccupping here and there but at least getting into a stride. He blinks down at Jack and Chase and tilts his head. "...does that taste good?" 

"It does to us," Chase says. "I don't know if it will to you, since you're human even if you're technically a merm right now. My kids say that it tastes like salad? And they're halflings which I think is similar to what you are right now. So... take what you want from that." 

"You can't eat fish, though," Jack says. 

"Right, yeah, even halflings need to have the fish cooked, they can't just eat them like we do," Chase agrees. 

"Oh really? Huh... that's interesting." Jackie says with a hum. 

"Are you all enjoying yourselves?" Schneep asks, tentacles clinging to the bottom of the boat. The bag he's wearing--human-made by the look of it--hangs upside down from his shoulder.

Alt can't help but laugh. "Are you, Schneep? cuz you look like a grumpy gills-" 

"Boooo!" Bro calls to Alt. Alt flicks him with his tail.

"Me? Oh, I am fine," Schneep says. 

Jackie swims back around to say, "That's just his face," before heading back to the front of the pack. 

"Hey!" Schneep snaps. 

Alt giggles. 

"Oh just like Alt!" Bro grins. 

"Hey! I've been getting better!" Alt snaps. 

Bro looks back to Schneep and then tries to swim upside down so he can look him in the face. "Does that make you dizzy or anything? You're also gripping on so well- but I guess that makes sense- cuz... octopus."

Schneep chuckles. "The non-octos are always so surprised." One of the tentacles peels away, showing the suckers on the other side. "It does take effort to grip, but I can hold on for a while before I need to stop." 

Jackie circles back around again. "Careful, Chase. If you swim with your dorsal upside down for too long it messes up your balance." 

"Oh? Really?" Bro rights himself and shakes a bit of vertigo off, dipping in the water before gaining his height. He laughs, "Thanks for the warning man."

Mer-Jackie looks at Schneep. "Talking about how great it is to be an octo again? How's it feel to be slow?" 

"Oh shut up." Schneep rolls his eyes. 

"Some octos can change color, y'know," Jackie says to Bro. "Like Schneep's neighbor." He looks at Schneep and grins. "Vea." 

"Yes, she can do that." Schneep's face is straight, but strangely, his tentacles shift color to a lighter blue. 

Bro looks very interested in this and then blinks at Schneep's tentacles and points. "Oh!! They kinda changed colors! woahhh" 

"Y-yes, that happens sometimes," Schneep says. 

"But it's not like what Vea can do," Jackie says, grinning. "She can camoflague into anything. Isn't that cool?" 

"V-very cool." The shade of blue is deepening now... like a blush. 

"Oh that is cool!" Bro says excitedly. He eyes the color with a slight knowing look. "That'd be such a useful skill!" 

"Like Peeta in the hunger games!" Jackieboy says, catching up to them. Bro laughs. 

Schneep blinks. "I don't know what that means. Chase? What human stuff is this 'hungry games'?" 

Chase frowns. "I don't know everything about humans. It's been years since I was one, things change so fast up there. Don't get me started on the way phones went from colorful flippy things to slabs." 

"Woahhh you were human once??" Jackie asks, looking at Chase with fascination. "Wait no okay that makes sense- cuz you said you had halflings- dude though that so crazy! It's like- real life little mermaid!" 

Bro bonks Jackie on the head, "Stop dropping pop 

culture references we gotta explain!" 

"Oh we know about The Little Mermaid," Jack says. "Stacy showed us." 

Chase gives a little laugh. "It was more like the fairy tale than the animated movie with the redhaired girl. I-I saw a cute human on the beach one day, a-and I kept coming back to see her. Until I decided I had to get to know her so I got Marvin to cast a spell on me to make me human for a year and a day. I-it was tough. Walking was hard, and I didn't know any human knowledge. But w-we got really close, and started going out, a-and um..." That blush is back. "But, uh, w-we were just seventeen so when the spell wore off she said I probably shouldn't turn human permanently until she finished school. And then stuff happened, and... now I have two kids." 

Mer-Jackie circles back again. "So romantic!" And back to the front. 

Jackie awwws, "That is the sweetest story I've ever heard!!" 

"I thought you always said nothing would beat how you met Zara-" Bro teases, bumping into him. 

"Well- getting my ass kicked isnt really romantic on my part-" Jackie snickers. "She did look like an angel that day though~!" 

"She beat you up?" Chase asks. "Oh, was it like--like a fight class?" 

"I'd like a partner who could kick my tail!" Jackie contributes. 

"Not many people can do that, though," Schneep mutters. 

"Oh!" Jack looks over at Jackie. "What about that orca? Margaret?" 

"Maggie likes girls, but she could kick my tail, so that's the idea." 

"Yeah it was a martial arts class." Jackie laughs, "First day- she and me were the only ones with fighting experience and I wanted to seem tough because well- I had recently decided I wanted to be more of a guy. That was a mistake and she humbled me realll quick. But... looking at her look at me so smug- ah... it was love right there." He sighs, looking up at the light filtering through the ocean. "So yeah- I guess you liking to be beat up by strong women is a universal thing!" 

Bro giggles. "The heart wants what the hearts wants, dude!" 

"Be more of a guy?" Jackie asked. "What do you mean? Just change to a guy." 

"I may not know as much about humans as Chase," Schneep says. "But even I know that they cannot change their gender so easily." 

Jackieboy bursts into laughter, "Oh man! If only it was that easy!" 

"I mean- technically it was for you- and Alt." Bro points out. 

"Shush- we still went through most of the things other people do! We just- skipped the surgeries." Jackieboy adds, touching the light purple scars on his chest- ones that were very similar to the ones Alt has. 

"All it takes for us is some will and a good night's sleep," Jackie says. "It just kinda... happens. We're very different." 

"No, what gave it away?" Schneep drawls. "Was it the tails or the fins?" 

"No, I get where Jackie's coming from," Chase says. "Humans think that merms are just like them, but underwater, but it's not like that at all. But you guys can probably feel the differences, right?" 

Bro chuckles at the sarcasm before looking to his other self. He swishes his tail as he thinks. "..Yeah- it's weird. You don't really think about how it would be, living underwater. But- even the way you breathe is different. The weight of the water and ebb and flow of everything around you. It's... really cool. But so so different from how things on land work." 

"Tell me about it," Chase mutters. "Balance is hard on legs." 

"It's hard even if you're used to having legs." Jackie grins. 

"Only for you, clumsy." Bro snorts, knocking into Jackie. 

The two of them start playfully bumping into each other, trying to throw the other off course. 

Meanwhile, Anti is swimming sort of near Alt, still trying to figure out if he should approach.

Alt feels a presence near him and he tilts his head, deciding to look back. He smiles slightly as he sees Anti. "Doin' alright?" He asks.

Anti blinks. He opens his mouth, closes it again. Blinks again. "You've... been... giving off... waves since you transformed," he says slowly. "Do you... know that? I-is it helping you... see?"

Alt blinks back and then looks down at his tail. He... kinda felt that. ...is that how he knew Anti was near? "...huh... I... I think I kinda noticed but... I didn't realize what that was." He tilts his head at Anti, "...see?"

Anti nods. He's sort of awkwardly playing with his hands, claws clicking together. "I can pulse electricity and... it helps me see. When I can't. M-my eyes aren't good. I'm supposed to be in dimmer light. But I can tell where things are. Is that what's happening?"

Alt looks thoughtful as he takes stock of himself. Experimentally, he tries to pulse some electricity out as well- though he's not quite sure what he's supposed to see. "Huh... like- echolocation almost. But, with electricity." He grins, fascinated. "I didn't know it could do that! I wonder if you could do that on land or- does it only work cuz we're underwater? dudeee that's so cool!"

"I-I don't know, I've never tried it on land," Anti says. "M--maybe? You need the inside parts to work." He gestures at his tail. "That's, um, all stuff to make electricity. So... if you turn human, pr-probably not." 

Alt hums in thought, "I'll have to try that some time... I can generate electricity normally. hm..."

"Oh right. I forgot." Anti smiles a little. He pauses. "It... probably doesn't really come through with your eyes open."

Alt blinks down at Anti and then laughs, "Oh yeah- I guess that makes sense. Lemme see..." Alt closes his eyes and tries again to pulse out his electricity.

Alt is momentarily blind, but then he realizes--the faint wave he's been giving off is bouncing back to him. It's like a sixth sense, like radar on a submarine, telling him the shape of the ocean floor below him, the outline of the boat above him, and the movement of the merms and fish around him. When he actively pulses out, the range increases. 

Alt is almost tempted to open his eyes, not liking the fact that he can't see when... he feels it. The wave of his senses reaching out, making sense of the darkness. 

"So... you can still see, see?" Anti says.

Alt starts to give off a bit more electricity in his excitement, laughing breathlessly. "Y-Yeah! Oh wow this is- this is so cool!"

"Y-y-yeah, it--I guess it is, I never... thought about it. It's always how it's been for me. I-I don't think you can shock like I can. Or... if you can, i-it's with your magic, not your insides. Right?"

Alt opens his eyes back up to look at Anti and smiles. "uhh no I don't think so... seems like I can do that to see but still- that's so crazy. I like it-" He grins. "I can't wait to see if I can still do that on land! ...thanks for showing me, Anti."

Anti blinks. Then he grins slowly. "Y-you're welcome. Gl-glad I could help." He clacks his claws together some more. "I... think I like... helping."

Alt's expression softens and he loops to be a bit closer to Anti. It's... weird. This Anti seems... more like him than the others he's seen recently. One that's grumpy and prickly but deep down... there's something good in there. He smiles at Anti. "...it's hard at first- but helping is kinda an awesome feeling. Especially if you have good friends who help you too."

Anti stares at Alt. "Friends..." He glances at the others. "I'm... not sure if I'm one of those. I, um... hurt them. A while ago. I was... scared. But I still did... more than I needed. But... they don't hate me. I-it's hard to understand." 

Alt's expression softens more and turns sympathetic. He looks up at Bro and Jackie and breathes, "...I know how that feels. I hurt my friends too. My brother, even. I was... angry. And confused. And I took things way too far. But... despite all that... they're still here." Alt laughs, shaking his head. "Somedays... I don't get it. Why they stick around... why they don't see me as... just a bad person. A monster. But... if somebody wants to see the good in you... I think you should let them." He looks back at Anti and smiles. "I think they can see that in you, Anti. That want to help. And that makes them friends. Cuz they're still here."

Anti listens to this intently. He lets out a breath, the gills on his neck visibly opening. "I... have a hard time understanding this," he says quietly. "I-I didn't think any of that was possible... for a long time. H-helping people, I mean. But... I like it. A-and I like that they're... willing to... help. I can... I can try. To be 'better.' I think I'm doing better. I-if they see that, I sh-shouldn't push that away." He nods. "Thank you. Not... I-I don't talk about this a lot. I don't think others understand." 

Alt smiles more and lightly bumps his tail against Anti's. "... I get it. I didn't think it'd ever be possible for me to help people but... I'm here. Trying to be a hero like Chase is. It's... insane. But deep down, anyone can change for the better- especially if they have people willing to stick around for the journey." 

Anti pauses. "Can you feel that? When you pulse. The land is sloping up. That means the coast is coming. We're getting close."

Alt pauses too and blinks trying to feel the slope. "Oh yeah- I do feel it." His eyes pulse with his magic as he starts to focus back at the task at hand.

"We're getting close," Anti announces to the others. 

"Really?" Chase says. He swims up to the surface, only his tail showing for a while, and then comes back down. "Ollie says he'll try to find somewhere on the coast to dock safely but it's pretty swampy." 

"Swampy? Sounds like we are getting close," Jackie says. 

Schneep detaches from the boat, flipping around right ways and swimming along with the others. "We are either going to find Jameson, or, perhaps, Marvin and that stranger. They may have beat him here." 

"What was his name again?" Jack asks. "Excellent, or something like that?"

The swaps laugh. "Magnificent," Alt says, grinning. He then looks at the water and squints. "...I don't know what to expect of him here... from what I knew- he hated water." 

"oh my god- could he be anymore like a cat?" Jackie groans. "Like- I get it, it's his thing but C'monnn"

"Jameson's message said he transformed into a merm," Chase recalls. "So, uh, I guess he knows the same sort of spell you guys do." 

"I wonder what he would become," Jackie muses. "You all didn't choose your merm forms, did you? Because if you did, he could become something pretty bad." 

"I can take him," Anti says. This doesn't sound like a brag, more like he's stating a fact. 

"We'll see," Schneep mutters. 

“Hmm… I wonder…” Alt muses, thinking. “He probably has more freedom… I wasn’t thinking when the spells were cast- I think it’s based off the soul. That’s usually how animal transformation works. Unless you’re mag and you deal in black magic.” 

The sea floor begins to slope upwards around them, but they stay in a slight dip of an area. Beneath them is a sandy floor with lots of green plants shooting up. The boat pulls to the side, not wanting to head down the river. 

Bro swims forward, momentarily fascinated at seeing the boat pulling off. 

Jackie looks down at the sandy floor and tilts his head. He dives down curiously. 

Is there something moving down there? Beyond just the plants and fish.

Alt blinks at this and uses his new skill as he follows after Jackie. Closing his eyes he- he senses a human like shape. “Oh! I think there’s a mer down here!” He announces.

"Huh, what?" Jackie says. The others all look down. 

"Jameson!" Chase gasps, and everyone dives down. 

Jameson jumps in surprise at the strange merms appear--but then relaxes when the others do. He swims up to meet them. The swaps see a merm styled after a stingray, with wings stretching from his arms to his torso and a narrow tail. His belly is pale yellow-white while his back is brown and speckled. He clutches a bag in his hands. 

"Are you okay?" Jack asks. 

"Do not worry, these are our friends," Schneep adds. "They are here to help." He pauses, then continues in a softer voice. "We are here to help. So... how are you?" 

Jameson tenses slightly, then rushes forward and wraps his arms around Schneep, squeezing him tightly. He looks visibly shaken.

The swaps all exchange worried glances. Alt approaches and adds in a quiet voice, “…I’m so sorry he took Marvin… but I swear- we’re gonna do whatever we can to get him back. I promise.”

Jameson looks at Alt curiously. He backs away from Schneep and starts making gestures. It’s lucky that Alt’s translation spell now works for non-spoken languages. The swaps see subtitles in their mind as Jameson speaks. Who are you? Do you know about that strange human?

Alt looks timid as he answers, “oh yeah s-sorry. I’m Alt- and this is Chase and Jackie. We’re actually from a different world- the same one that the strange human came from. And we know all about him… he’s hurt all of us before.” His eyes glow with anger, “We’ll make him pay for taking Marvin.“

Jameson blinks. World?

“It’s complicated, we can talk about it later,” Chase says. “The point is, they know this guy. He’s called Magnificent.” 

Jameson laughs—it sounds strained, and it’s not clear if that’s from the stress or if it’s just how his voice sounds. How arrogant. Well, he did seem the type to act like that. 

Bro and Jackie laugh. “Man I love how everyone points out his name is stupid and shallow. Ohh the vindication!” Jackie cackles. 

“So this guy is coming down the river soon?” Jackie asks. “And he’s bringing Marvin, who’s hypnotized?” 

“Oh they’re not even in the ocean yet? Okay good! We can get the jump on them!” Bro says cheerfully. 

“Yeah, let’s jump them!” Jackie agrees, whooping. 

Nodding, Jameson says, I brought some things that might help. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a couple things. A pair of round stones, some sharp, bone-like objects, and something pale red partially wrapped in a woven kelp blanket. 

“I know you said you were bringing the siren stone, but are you sure?” Jack asks. 

Maybe we can combat his hypnotism with it.

Alt looks down curiously at all the objects Jameson brought. He swims closer, “A siren stone? What’s that? Are these all magic?”

No, not all of these, Jameson says. He picks up one of the bone like objects. These aren’t. I brought them for the merms who don’t have natural weapons. 

Schneep makes a face. “Those are made from stingers, aren’t they?”

They don’t have venom in them after they fall off, but they’re sharp! 

“Oh, you all are going to love that,” Schneep says, glancing at the visitors. 

“Ohhh neat!” Jackieboy says, reaching to grab one. He experimentally jabs it through the water then giggles. “Like a knife!” 

“I’ll just stick with the stone.” Chase picks up the siren stone. For a moment, he touches it without the blanket acting as a barrier, and patterns of green light appear on its surface. So pretty… Then he realizes what’s happening and quickly adjusts his grip, the light fading as soon as he stops touching it. 

“The siren stone is something that merms with siren blood can use,” Jack explains. “It lets them have the hypnotic powers sirens did. Only Chase and Anti have siren ancestors, so only they can use it.” 

“N-not that I will,” Anti mutters, folding his arms. He seems a little… guilty?

Alt’s eyes widen at the explanation, glancing at the stone. He blinks at Anti then smiles softly at him, as if he understood. He nods to the others, “Mag isn’t used to others having mental magic- or using hypnosis. We should be able to catch him off guard!”

Jack grabs one of the stinger-knives as well, and hands another to Schneep with an insistent look. 

Schneep sighs, gills fluttering, and takes it. “If we are to catch them off guard, we should hide ourselves. Especially the brighter colored ones of us.” 

Bro nods, “Jackie that means you should hide- you’re like super bright.” 

Jackieboy grumbles but nods. 

“I could be a distraction,” Chase offers. “Maybe try to catch them with the stone.” 

What if his hypnotism is faster than you can speak? Jameson asks. 

“Well… that’s why you guys hide!” 

“Sounds like as good a plan as anything to me,” Jackie says.

Alt looks nervous but nods too, “an ambush… that could work. Just- tips for dealing with Mag- his magic is very powerful and is like a tidal wave… it’s very hard to resist. But like- if you try to fight it think of like random things! I do colors to help me- it makes it harder for him to latch onto something.” He looks around trying to see if there’s any hints of them coming. “…me and Anti could get closer to the mouth and warn y’all when we feel them coming.”

The other merms nod at Alt’s advice. 

“That’s a good idea,” Anti agrees. “I know where there are small alcoves in the rock. We can hide inside.” 

The brighter merms should find clusters of plants to hide inside, Jameson says. The rest of us can hide behind rocks, we’ll blend in more there. 

“Let me guess, you’re going to bury?” Jackie says. 

Jameson grins a little. It’s what I do. 

“Alright, that’s a plan, then,” Chase says. “What signal should we look for, Alt, Anti?”

Alt hums in thought, flicking his tail. 

Bro perks up, “What if we use Sam? She’s small enough that she can swim around to start alerting the others? Or-at the very least- I have very good hearing. Any knock or signal you all make I can probably hear- I can stick by other me to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

“Oh, uh… thank you,” Chase says. 

Jack blinks. “But I didn’t bring—” 

And then his bag starts fluttering in an unusual way. He looks down at it. “…no. No, you didn’t.” 

He opens it up and out swims Sam. 

“Seriously?” 

She bumps against him. 

“Oh- I wondered where she went.” Bro laughs, messing with his hair and looking embarrassed. 

“Awww she’s so cute though!” Jackieboy says.

“Well I don’t want to put you in danger. So back in the bag you go.” Jack says to Sam.

“Besides, Sam can’t swim that fast, right?” Jackie says. 

“Here, let’s test how good your hearing is. Anti, can you go find one of those alcoves and make some sort of noise?” 

Anti nods, darting away. He’s soon out of sight. After a moment, Bro picks up a faint—very faint—clicking noise that the spell translates as “Hey! Listen!”

Bro nods and listens. He perks up and then grins, “Yes! I heard it! Ha- you sounded like Navi-“ 

“Nerd-“ Alt coughs with a laugh.

"Alright, if that's sorted, let's all get into position, then," Jackie says. 

Good luck, everyone, Jameson adds. 

And the merms scatter. Jack takes Jameson's advice and hides in a patch of kelp where his green color won't stand out as much. Jackie and Schneep crouch together behind a rock, Schneep's darker tentacles helping them hide into the shadows. Anti stays where he is. Jameson finds a patch of sand and partially buries himself under it. And Chase hovers around, unsure where exactly to go.

The swaps all nod and scatter too. Alt follows Anti into one of the alcoves, closing his eyes and settling into the dark. Jackie searches around and finds a deep enough patch in the kelp to hopefully hide most of his tail. 

Bro rounds up next to Chase and puts a hand on his shoulder, smiling confidently. “Don’t worry- we got this! He won’t expect all of you- especially with that stone thingy!”

Chase smiles back at Bro. “Thanks. I-it has come in handy. Now you should get somewhere out of sight. I don’t think the distraction will work if there’s two of us and one is a shark. No offense. You’re just more intimidating than a clownfish like me.” 

“Oh- you know what that’s fair. I’ll be close by though! Just in case.” Bro grins and then ducks down to go hide by some of the rocks. 

Some time passes. Thankfully not too much. Hidden in the small alcove, Anti sends out regular pulses… and eventually two large shapes swim into range. “I think that’s them,” he whispers to Alt.

Alt feels the pulse and studies the new shapes closer, trying to see if he recognizes the feeling. The waves coming off one of them feels almost sinister- like the water is afraid of him. That could only be one person. He opens his eyes and nods to Anti. 

“It is. Get ready-“

Anti nods back and makes that same “Hey! Listen!” clicking noise to alert the others. 

Marvin has been perfectly complacent for Magnificent ever since that brief encounter with Jameson. He hasn’t said a word until now, when he simply says, “That’s the ocean in there.” 

Magnificent can see the widening of the river as the shore on either side turns away. And he’s been able to feel it coming for a while, too, as the tight feeling of freshwater fades away when more salt enters the picture.

Magnificent giggles and stretches out his tail, enjoying the feeling of the salt water. Much better. 

"Very good~! Now- how much further to this source? Should we pick up the pace? Or can you not handle that, little fish?" He asks with a hint of sweetness, almost mimicking concern. But, his condensation is palpable in his voice. 

Alt growls quietly, bunching up and feeling electricity bright in his veins. But, he needs to wait. Bro and Jackie brace themselves too, watching the water and Chase warily.

Magnificent can faintly sense magic in the distance, but it’s hard to gauge how close it is. 

“We should pick up the pace,” Marvin says. “It’s still far.” 

“Hm, alright- try to keep up-“ He starts to order Marvin before he slows and stops in the water- who is…?

Chase takes a deep breath. He’s been thinking about what to do, and decides the best approach us to just swim up to them. Which he does. “Hey Marvin, I was just coming to see you, who’s your—whoa!” And yet he stalls for a moment, taken aback by Magnificent’s appearance. He wasn’t expecting this stranger to look like a deep dweller! He clutches the wrapped siren stone close to his chest. “Uh—h-hi?” 

Marvin blinks. “…Chase?”

Mag glares at Chase and bares his sharp teeth for a second before his expression eases into a charming and charismatic one. “Oh! Marvin, is this a friend of yours? Chase is it? Well- how fun to run into you! Marvin was just helping me find some magic nearby~” He chuckles. His eyes flash briefly with spiraling magic, trying to subtly influence Chase to back down. “Nothing to worry about.”

Chase blinks. Is he... supposed to be feeling something right now? Is Magnificent trying his magic? Well, he doesn't want to be too suspicious right away so he'll play along a bit. 

"Oh. Yeah. Of course. Well... if you want to find some magic, I have something right here." He moves the kelp blanket away from the stone, not quite touching it yet but revealing its surface.

Magnificent raises an eyebrow skeptically. A chase? Knowing magic? Hard to believe… But he can’t deny the pull of whatever magic is coming from that stone so he swims a bit closer, tilting his head at it curiously. “Oh? Is that so?”

"Yeah. Watch this." Chase presses a hand against the stone, and the green light appears, dancing across its surface. "And if you keep watching, that'll be great."

Magnificent tilts his head more, gazing at the stone. For just an instant- he seems almost captivated. But, that quickly fades as he throws his head back with laughter. The pressure around them in the water starts to increase- and magic starts to bloom behind Mag is a bright spiral pattern. He shakes his head as he chuckles sinisterly, 

"Oh Chase... You're playing a dangerous game~" He looks up at Chase fully now- the same magic spiraling his eyes as he slams his magic down on Chase's will. "I think you'll find that watching and obeying me will be much more favorable for you~"

Chase is smart enough to not look directly at the pretty lights, but he does gasp at the wave of magic. He blinks for a moment, then struggles through. Alright, time for Plan B! He dives down to the ground. "Guys! Now!" 

Immediately Jackie bursts out from his hiding place and darts for Mag. 

"What?!" Magnificent snarls, backing up and then growls for Marvin. "Marvin! Keep your friends from interfering!" He orders. 

But, then, Bro comes rushing out with the same speed and roars in anger, diving to try to stop Mag too.

Marvin's attention darts to the side and he fires off a beam of pale green light--but he's not holding a power stone so it's weak and Jackie powers right through, shoving Marvin to the side. He gasps, drifting for a bit before recovering, reaching into his bag for a stone.

Alt gasps and narrows his eyes and goes to try to help Marvin and Jackie.

Bro for a second, startles Mag who whips to look at him with surprise. "Fantastic?!" He then whips out some magic to knock him back, making Bro summersault through the water. He soon rights himself and tries to charge at Mag again. Magnificent blasts Bro in the face with his magic, sending Bro back again as he curls up and holds it- the water around his face burning. 

While Bro is distracting him, Magnificent feels something grab his tail. It's Schneep, gritting his teeth with determination. 

Mag startles at being grabbed and growls at Schneep, flicking him off and back down towards one of the rocks. 

Marvin grabs a power stone and flings out a wave of magic, strong enough that it causes a current.

Alt tries his best to fight the current and tries to grab Marvin's tail- trying to give him a small shock to hopefully wake him up.

Schneep lands on the rocky ground, silt flying into the air. Jameson rushes over to check on him but luckily he recovers quickly and gestures for Jameson to go on. Jameson nods and quickly swims over to Marvin. 

Jack hands his bag--with Sam inside--to Chase and decides to rush Magnificent with the stinger blade. While Jackie is pushed back by the magic and the current, 

Alt reaches Marvin and grabs him. He yelps at the shock but his eyes don't even flicker as he looks down and blasts Alt with magic.

The magic hits Alt and he yells out in surprise and pain and tumbles away, disoriented by the water. 

Jack manages to stick Mag in the tail and he yells in anger, blasting magic towards him.

Jameson tries to grab Marvin from behind, his eyes glowing slightly blue, but Marvin whirls around and throws him off before he can do whatever he's trying to do. 

Meanwhile, Jackie helps stop Alt from tumbling, then rushes for Marvin as well. "Snap out of it!" he shouts as he tackles him. "He's in your head, Marvin! Like a siren!" 

Alt oofs and then thanks Jackie, following after him to try to stop Marvin too. 

Jack gets thrown back by the magic, landing next to where Schneep did earlier. "We're gonna get nowhere if we're separated!" he gasps. 

Chase looks at Jack. "I-I'll see if I can help get Marvin free!" he says, swimming over. 

While Mag is distracted, Anti darts for him, grabbing him from behind.

Magnificent laughs and then seems to feel the water shift as Anti darts out and he dodges out of the way. He growls and then snaps, making another big swirl of magic appear behind him, humming with power- lighting him up from behind in an eerie light. He growls, "You simple minded little fish aren't worth the water you swim in! You all will bow to me!"

But the merms know the ways of sirens by now. All of them looking at Mag--Jack, Anti, Jameson, and Schneep--quickly look away. 

Schneep's a bit slow, as he's too busy shouting "You cannot* bow in the water, idiot!" but he remembers. 

Anti laughs. "Let me tell you something you clearly don't understand. You're fucking outnumbered!" And all at once, the four of them rush Magnificent. 

Magnificent growls at Schneep and the others, trying to back away. Jackie- still hiding, springs up and throws his stringer blade and its slices across Mag's arm- distracting him as he yells out. Bro grins and headbutts him from behind- pushing him into the frenzy of the other merms that tackle Magnificent into the sand. Magnificent screeches like an angry cat, flailing and clawing to try to get free. 

Marvin throws Jackie off--something he normally wouldn't be able to do, but Jackie just can't bring himself to use too much force against his friend. 

"Marvin! Chase shouts, grabbing the siren stone. "Look at me!" And Marvin does. "Don't listen to Magnificent! He doesn't control you!"

Alt sees the others have things with Mag handled and goes to help Chase, leaning down by Marvin. "Hey yeah- l-listen to Chase, you don't ever wanna work for that psycho- trust me! Your friends need you, Marvin."

"Fr-friends...?" Marvin repeats. "Friends..." 

"Your friends," Chase repeats. "Us!" He swims closer, pointing to the side. "Look, we need help!" 

Marvin follows Chase's pointing finger. He sees the others all tackling Magnificent to the ground. And suddenly, everything snaps back into place. 

"No!" Marvin screeches, darting on over. The power stone in his hand glows brighter and brighter, and as Marvin plunges into the pile the others back away from Magnificent to make room for him. 

The water suddenly gets very cold and there's a flash of bright light--

When the light recedes- Mag is trapped, squirming on the sandy ground, his arms frozen to his sides. He growls and snaps like an cornered predator. 

"Miserable whelp! Unhand me! I'll fry you for this!" He hisses at Marvin. 

Jackie cheers and pumps his hand into the air. "Yeahh!! Go Marvin!!" 

Bro laughs and looms over Mag- "Best watch you say, Mag- a lot of us have veryyy sharp teeth." He playfully chomps towards Mag- making the mad magician flinch ever so slightly. 

Alt sighs in relief, letting himself sag in the water.

"Fucker," Marvin snaps, trembling with rage and adrenaline. "Fucking fucker fuck--oof!" He's cut off as Jameson suddenly tackles him, knocking him to the side. "Who--Jameson? Jameson!" Marvin laughs and hugs him back, the two of them flying head over tail through the water. 

I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Jameson says. I tried but he was too strong and I was so scared I'm sorry I'm sorry-- 

"No, no, it's okay! I would've felt horrible if he hurt you! O-or if I hurt you." They land in the sand, their tails wrapped around each other. 

Chase watches the two of them and chuckles, smiling fondly. 

Anti stares at Mag. "Can I shock him? Just a little?"

Alt grins, "Go for it, make it hurt." He tells Anti. 

"Just... don't kill him?" Bro asks timidly.

"I can stun him?" Anti offers. 

"That'd be helpful probably-" Jackie giggles, "We gotta get him back onto the boat to get him back home, right?" 

"Oh fuck right... we gotta get home." Alt sighs.

Anti grins. "Got it." He swims up to Mag, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Back away," he tells the others. And once they're out of range--ZAP! Magnificent slumps unconscious. 

The swaps all watch Anti shock him with wide eyed but impressed expressions.

"I underdid it a bit to avoid killing him," Anti says. "So he might wake up quickly. Get him on land soon, then." 

"Got it." Jackie grabs Magnificent--not touching him, just holding him by the ice--and starts hauling him up to the surface.

"Man... that was satisfying to see." Jackie grins. 

Bro laughs and then swims after Jackie, "I'll go help Jackie!" 

Alt looks down and then slowly goes to swim over to Marvin and Jameson. He hesitates then settles down in the sand next to them. "Um... hey Marvin- I know we didn't really get a chance to meet... I'm Alt and uh... I just wanted to see if you were okay?"

Marvin looks at Alt, then at Jameson. Jameson nods and scoots a little bit to the side but keeps one arm around Marvin, the connected wing acting like a blanket. "Hi, Alt. I'm not hurt. If I'm okay, though... l-let's say that I-I'll have to think a lot about what happened." 

Alt looks very sympathtic and he nods. "Yeah... I get it... it's not a great feeling." 

Marvin shivers. "But not now. You, um... know that stranger, then? He was human at first." His eyes dart up and down Alt then land on his bracelet. "Are... you, too?"

Alt blinks at Marvin's questions and then nods again. "Yeah... Mag comes from where he came from. We're human but... me and him are magic. Like you and Jameson. That's why he wanted to... to use you. I'm so sorry that he did..."

Marvin nods. "It's not your fault. W-we never expected something like that. You must come from somewhere very far, I've never seen a human with magic before." 

Jameson squeezes Marvin from the side supportively. Sorry, he signs again. 

"It's really not your fault. I know how you are with nets like the one he conjured." 

Jameson nods slowly, then looks at Alt and smiles. Thank you for help saving my life friend.

Alt looks surprised and then flushes slightly but grins. "I-It's so problem really... that's... that's what I do. Me and my brother, of course. G-Gotta try to use my magic for good, right?" He glances up at the water and deflates a bit before looking back at them. "... If we didn't have to deal with him... it'd be so cool to learn about all the magic and stuff you guys have here. You seriously havent seen any human magicians? All the magic is underwater? And that- that siren stone thing?? That's... so cool-" He grins, bouncing a bit. "Plus... swimming around like a merman is... really really brilliant." He laughs, "... gonna be hard to go back to being just- human." 

Just behind him, you can see Jackie just swimming around the area, like he's trying to make the most of the time they have left.

"My teacher told me that once, humans knew how to draw magic from the water like we do," Marvin says. "But they stopped around the shipwreck era--um, a-about four hundred human years ago. Maybe they can learn how to do it again." He laughs a little. "I-I'm happy you're enjoying it. I think merms don't have nearly as much fun when we turn human. Or at least, Chase and Anti didn't." 

Alt blinks, "Woah... that's so fascinating..."

Speaking of Chase, he swims down to join the others. "Hey... i-if you guys are okay, we're all going to the surface now," he says slowly. 

Marvin nods. "We'll be right up there."

Alt looks back towards Chase and smiles, "Yeah... coming." He sighs and floats up, flicking his tail. "Welp- guess it's time." He smiles at them then whistles for Jackie. 

"Hey speedy! We gotta get going!" Alt calls. 

Jackieboy stops a little bit aways, "What??" 

"WE GOTTA GET GOING!" 

"AWWW REALLY??" 

"YES REALLY YOU DORK- C'MON!" 

"FINNEEE" 

Alt rolls his eyes with a small laugh and then he surges up to the surface and Jackieboy reluctantly follows.

Back on the surface, Bro and Jackie have helped Ollie haul the unconscious Magnificent back onto the boat. 

"I hope you all have magic to dry people's clothes and stuff," Ollie is saying. "This is dripping all over my deck." 

Alt laughs and grabs Bro and Jackie and glitches all of them onto the boat's deck. They all still have some of their scales and fishy aspects but they at least have their legs again. Alt mutters a quick spell word and all of them get dried off and he beams at Ollie. "There you go! No issue!"

One by one, everyone else surfaces. 

"Ahlee!" Marvin says, delighted. 

"Hey there." Ollie smiles at him. "The others said you went through some stuff. So here. I know this probably won't help much but here." He crouches down and hands something out for Marvin. A paper bowl of ice cream with a spoon. 

"Oooo." Marvin takes it. "Than' yoo than' yoo!" he says in English. 

Alt  crouches down by Mag and pokes him slightly. "... guess Mag is stuck as a fish until he wakes up." 

"Can we leave him to suffoc-" Jackie almost says excitedly before Bro bops him on the head. "No Jackie-"

"He'll probably wake up soon," Anti says. "I didn't shock him that hard." 

"You know we can breathe air, right?" Jackie says. 

Schneep nods. "There are gills, but there are also lungs, though the airways close instinctively once the gills submerge." 

"Ohhh yeah- that makes sense." Jackie says. 

"Does that mean technically fish can breathe a bit of air?" Bro asks curiously. 

"Some can! Upwards of 30 minutes!" Jackie beams. "Just gotta keep their gills wet." 

"We're not fish, though, we're merms," Jackie says. "So we can breathe air for as long as we want!... but we'll dry out eventually. Like whales." 

Poor whales, Jameson comments sadly. 

"So... you guys are really leaving now?" Jack asks. "Are you... going to come back? W-we don't have too many human friends. It's just Ollie, Stacy and Roxy, and Lise... They all end in 'ee' sounds, weird." 

Alt smiles sadly and then nods. "Yeah... we gotta go. This one is real squirmy." He lightly kicks Mag, who grumbles a bit. But, his expression does light up. "...I... I wanna come back- someday. For sure this was... really fun." 

"I wanna take Zara and the kids sometime!!" Jackie shouts, stimming. 

"You'll need to get me sooo much food and energy for that to happen," Alt responds, but he does smile. "...but that would be awesome." 

"Do you guys need me to drop you off somewhere?" Ollie asks.

Alt then blinks and looks at Ollie before shaking his head. "Nah, we should be good. All we need is-" He finds his bag and digs out the TRVLR, "-this. Though- we should all change back into our clothes and shit." He giggles.

"Well, we'd love to see you again!" Chase says. "If you ever have a hard time finding us, I'm around Maya Beach a lot. That's where I met Stacy.” 

"Oh! Was that the beach I showed up on? Sweet! That'll be easy to remember then!" Bro grins. 

"Oh, no you showed up at the lagoon where I live," Jack says. "I don't know if it has a human name. None of them have showed up there... uh... ever?" 

"That one's called Brightwave Lagoon," Chase adds. "Because the waves glow bright with all the phytoplankton. It's hard to get to but they know about it." 

"Or if you want to stop by Jameson and me, we live in Lough Baintrie," Marvin says. 

Just wait on the beach, we'd rather come up to you, Jameson adds. 

“We, um... can't exactly call you. Phones don't work underwater." Chase says.

"I have a tablet," Anti says. "I can make the screen go white if I pulse." Not sure what that has to do with this. Maybe he just wanted to mention it.

Jackie blinks at Anti, "That'sss great?" He tries to say encouragingly. 

"Don't get near my tablet!" Alt says, slipping on his hoodie and shoes again. He grabs his marker and scribbles out the runes and soon enough his fishy scales and stuff turn blue then disappear. 

Bro and Jackie follow his lead, getting back on the clothes they took off and Alt makes quick work of getting rid of their runes too. 

Pretty soon they're all back to normal. Around the time they finish, Mag suddenly gasps loudly and then coughs, flailing like the caught fish he is. 

Alt glitches down by him and grins sinisterly. "Oh look guys! We caught a catfish~!" 

Mag growls and with a snap of his magic- he's back to his normal self but he's still caught up in Marvin's magic. 

Bro makes quick work of picking him up and holding him on his shoulder as Magnificent spits profanities and threats. 

Jackie leans over the rails and grins. "We'll be back to see you all again, for sure! And next time, we can all just have some fun, alright?" 

Alt grins and nods, "Yeah, for sure." 

Bro leans over Alt and looks at the screen as he sets up the TRVLR. "...any idea what got us sent here instead of home last time, Alt?" 

Alt frowns, "No idea... I was sure I had the right address." He makes sure to mark this one down in their favorites before finding theirs again. "Maybe... Anti-Virus just- shorted it out or something. I'm sure it'll work this time."

"I do hope your device works," Schneep says. "I do not understand it, but I am sure it was just a mistake." 

"Maybe pulse it extra hard," Anti suggests. 

"But not too hard, you don't want to break it," Jackie says. 

Alt can't help but laugh at Anti's suggestion but he nods, "I'll try."

Jack laughs lightly. "Well. I hope we'll see you again, wherever you find us." 

"Um... bye, I guess," Ollie adds with a wave. "Nice to meet you." 

Alt takes a second to smile at Ollie, his expression softening. "Yeah... nice to meet you too."

"And we'll remember all those places!" Jackie says, tapping his forehead. "Got it all up here!" 

"So it'll be gone in 5 minutes!" Bro jokes. 

"Hey! You're one to talk!" Jackie pouts, hitting Bro. 

"Hey careful! Holding a very squirmy villain here!" 

"I will cut all of you to ribbons!" Magnificent spits.

Alt rolls his eyes and grabs the others, "Yeah yeah- we've heard that before." 

"We'll make sure to find you again next time too, Ollie!" Bro grins cheekily. 

Alt elbows him in the ribs. "Okay we should go! Bye you guys!" And Alt tries to add a bit more of his energy and magic into the TRVLR as he pushes the jump button.

And they fall into the darkness and greenlight once again. But, just as last jump, their fall shifts slightly. Like leaves caught in a breeze, their course is diverted for a second time. 

[trashgoblincreature]

a LOT of side order spoilers below the cut.

SERIOUSLY, I WENT ON SEVERAL TANGENTS HERE THAT I DID NOT INTEND TO. SPOILERS AHEAD.

so. i beat a run in side order for the first time??? honestly i fucking LOVE this. certain story implications, pearlina confirmed, and actual. yknow, difficulty

however. while it has its charm. i feel like the repetitiveness actually harms it more than it helps it.

its SO difficult to get enough prlz to get to the point where you can actually beat the tower. and letting you die at the VERY end and that not even giving you enough prlz to upgrade your damage enough to make a difference? kinda ass ngl.

also, i wish there were more bosses. we have the octowhirl 2.0, the funnel, and if enemy octolings were less octo shaped and dipped in liquid metal. outside of the first and final bosses, those are the only bosses we have. and they STILL randomize which one you get each time. and make an upgrade to reveal which is which. said upgrade, thanks to how difficult it is to get enough prlz for other upgrades, is NOT worth it btw

lastly. part of me really wishes tartar and/or 4 wouldve made an actual appearance. 4 is underappreciated in the franchise, and i feel like they could've made a good boss fight [not counting the fake 4 because that is. straight up just the same as an enemy octoling]

and tartar. they couldve had him appear as a mini boss. it wouldnt have made NO sense, order WAS created from code in kamabo co's database. it likely KNOWS about tartar. it likely knows about the whole kamabo situation, it more than likely has some of tartar's code in it. and it makes me irritated that that specific possibility is never even hinted at. like??? come ON man i want him BACK. at least MENTION him???? especially if theyre gonna make order SO SIMILAR TO TARTAR

it reminds me of beta tartar. yknow, the horrifying meat grinder-blender combo monster with teeth and eyes in the blender cup from the art book. and the way its voice sounds??? i really thought, going into this, there was gonna be a twist at the end with nintendo just being like "oh this is what remains of tartar btw" but nope

again, i LOVE side order. i really am enjoying it so far. but. i just sorta wish there was a little more to the story and a little less repetitiveness to beat a run for the first time

tbh, might 'rewrite' it a little bit. just thanks to the tartar situation i mentioned. i feel like involving him in order's whole backstory could make things FAR more interesting tbh

[the-booty-crusader]

tehehehehe i just finished IDBH(IWIWS) and went searching for your tumblr to tell you that not only did i absolutely LOVE your writing, i ADORE your art as well T*T

and TIM KRAKE?? LITERALLY opening a tab to read it right now fr because OCTO MER TIM???? DIDNT KNOW HOW MUCH I NEEDED THAT

but like frfr SO much love and praise to you! i can really see your passion for your interests in the way you write and illustrate for your own fics!! its amazing to see <33

AAAAHHWHAHAHAH thank you so much!! I have such a blast writing weird AUs for Tim and it makes me so happy whenever people let me know they enjoy reading my ramblings!

And yes. I read about it in another fic and felt he wasn't monstrous enough so Kraken Mer Tim it is. He needs all those arms to keep his mega brain busy lol <3

Thank you again :D I've always been an artist first and writer second so many of the scenes were a visual idea that I really wanted to show properly! Hence the illustrations :3

Let me know what you think of Tim Krake when you finish it (if you feel like it of course heehee) I thrive off of comments <3

[an-aussie-button-masher]

Order Up, Up, Up - A Quick Review of Splatoon 3: Side Order

   The colourful world of Splatoon is a chaotic one, so maybe it’s time for a little order on the side - but as demonstrated in Side Order, too much order can be a bad thing. This new add-on story campaign for Splatoon 3 shifts gameplay gears into the meta-progressing replayability of roguelikes, unlike the more linear platform-shooter-puzzler levels of the previous campaigns. Agent 8 - the first playable character to return from a previous game, last seen in Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion - once more awakens in a strange place with a new mystery to solve. Accompanied by Splatoon 2’s idol duo hosts Pearl and Marina, and the until-recently-brainwashed DJ Acht, 8 finds Inkopolis Square seemingly consumed by a strange force, bleaching the world white and infesting it with dangerous skeletal fishy foes.   Together, the team must climb the Tower of Order, a randomly-generated series of challenging puzzles and battles, earning upgrades and reaching the ominously-dark and glitchy top floor to determine just what is going on and who is responsible. In true roguelike fashion, even losing helps progress; once you’ve run out of lives, you’re booted out of the tower, losing the gear you’ve acquired along the way - but you can then spend points on permanent upgrades to help make the climb just a little easier every time. Enter the Tower, fight your way up, die, upgrade yourself, enter the Tower again, reach a little higher this time, and repeat until you’re face-to-face with the Tower’s powerful mastermind. How many attempts will it take you to save Inkopolis?

   I was honestly surprised at just how well the roguelike formula translates into Splatoon’s style, even if it lacks some of the massive sheer variety of full roguelike games. Growing stronger thanks to the permanent upgrades between each run is incredibly satisfying - I quickly went from getting mobbed and overrun on the fifth floor to consistently and flawlessly beating the final boss seven times in a row, even with weapons I wasn’t accustomed to using! Even in the early stages, it never feels too frustrating to lose; there’s always a sense of “alright, time for more upgrades, let’s try that again!”   One thing that Side Order falls a bit short of is the more interesting and continuous storytelling from the other campaigns, especially Octo Expansion. The plot effectively freezes entirely between beating the first and second runs of the Tower, which can last quite a while without upgrades. There’s plenty of fun dialogue and character dynamics between the main cast, but it’s all relegated to a handful of conversations that occasionally play out between floors (and frequently repeat themselves), with the actual storyline only really progressing every time you reach and beat the final boss with a new weapon. The DLC might seem “short” to those unfamiliar with roguelike gameplay - the credits roll after beating the final boss for the first time, which technically only takes two successful climbs up the Tower, but that’s just the beginning. The true meat of the DLC is then beating the boss eleven more times, with the player getting stronger each time instead of the boss; the plot continues to progress with every final boss defeat, long after the credits are finished. The first battle against the true villain is also one of the most hype moments in the entire series - a real, unparalleled power trip.   So, while the storytelling engagement isn’t quite up to scratch with the series standard, the handful of character moments still there are just as entertaining as usual, and the gameplay beyond is excellently fun and addictive - that last run was good, but how about just one more attempt?   I hope you enjoyed this quick review of Splatoon 3: Side Order - feedback, reblogs and likes are much appreciated!   Thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher

[factual-fantasy]

23 asks! Thank you!! :}} 🐶

Guys, please read the FAQ in my pinned posed before sending asks, like the ask button says. You don't have to read them all- just a quick check to see if i have answered your question already and especially to see my stance on requests.

I'm not taking drawing requests at the moment. If I hit an art block and start taking requests, I'll make a post about it and update my pinned post.

Again, please just take a quick glance at the FAQ before sending in your asks. It saves both of us a lot of time. Thank you! <:)

Currently there isn't actually a plot line I'm following- its more of a "day in the life of the neighborhood" kind'a thing.

The main points of interest though is Wally's home being alive and it watches him sleep at night.. this causes Wally to have terrible sleeping problems and anxiety. But no one knows Home is the culprit..

Another point of interest is Julie secretly actually being a huge beast that is simply disguising herself as this pretty little harmless neighbor.. she truly is a nice person and loves her friends, but she has disguised herself to look this way so that people wouldn't be afraid of her. Only Frank knows what she really looks like..

And lastly, Eddie is a real human from our/another world. He was somehow brought here to the neighborhood.. he has no memory of his original life..

Oh wow!! :000 That blue one is so pretty.... 🥺💞💞

@imdonewiththisblogsblog

A BUTTERFLY WITH CLEAR WINGS?? THAT SOO PRETYYYY💞💞💞

@littlelightfish

AAA THANYIOU!! :DDDD

Octo is intended to kind'a have normal old man problems- he's kind'a far sighted, has a cranky back, gets tired easy, gets winded faster than he used to.. other than that and the natural aches and sores that came after his major injury- (that comic you're referencing) he's relatively ok! :00 (Those dizzy spells that I talked about come from when he overworks himself.. normal old man things! <:D)

Seafoam is intended to be the youngest of his siblings, and his eldest sister was a rotten egg that had kids way too young.. and her kids were ALSO rotten eggs that had THEIR kids way too young. One of those kids being Red. So because of the age gap between him and his sister, and both generations having kids at like 20 years old... Seafoam is 55-65 and Red, his great nephew, is like 4-6...

Spider crab tends to not interact a whole lot with Pinwheel and Tuna, since they are a little too high energy and loud for him. 😅 But Coco and Red are nice company. :)

Spider does worry about the crewmembers that are missing limbs or eyes.. he does his best to offer help without overstepping. Sometimes those things are sensitive to talk about.. Also Spider sure looks old, but I pictured him being somewhere in his late 30s. Stress will add a lot of age to your face... 😅

I can see Spider crab, Louis and Tuna spending the most time in the kitchen just to be around Ellie. Although if one of them comes for a visit and one of the other 2 is already there, they probably wont stick around long. <XD Spider doesn't like Louis or Tuna's noise and Tuna like's to be alone with Ellie to talk peacefully.. As to who cooks when she cant... I can see the crew eating things that don't need to be cooked until she gets better. Pre-baked bread, easy sandwiches, etc- in an emergency though I can see the crew catching fish and Louis cooking them for the crew :))

Red might have nightmares yeah.. although his family were pretty rotten so this new crew is actually rather nice.. also Coco is his favorite playmate :))

AAA THANKYIUU!! :DDD IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE URCHINS DESIGN!! :)))) Unfortunately though, I haven't thought out her backstory too much..

I'm thinking she met Cuttlefish the same time the rest of the crew did. As for what made them friends, I kind'a like the idea that Urchin can see right through Cuttle's facade. She's not used to having someone see through all her lies, see the REAL her.. and still want to be her friend. Its nice.. 🥺

and finally WAARRHGHH THANKD FOR THIS ASK! :DDD MY HEART IS FULL OF JOY READING YOUR INTEREST IN KY OCS!!! :))))

Honestly? I have absolutely no idea XD 💀💀 All I know is Poppy is the oldest and Sally is the youngest. Sally is probably around 18-20--

@spirited-splashes

WWAHGGG THABK YOU SO MUCH!! :DD ITS MY FAVORITE THING TO DRAW!! :}}}}}

@legitanawkwardmess

ALKDKJENFKJEN THATS HILARIOUS XDDDD

I haven't decided what the neighbors reactions would be since I have no plans for Julie to reveal herself.. though even if she did, I have a feeling she would want to maintain her smaller form. Even if it takes more energy..

To Julie, this body represents who she really is. Who she really wants to be. This is how she want's the world to see her. Even if the truth got out and everyone accepted her. She'd stay in her smaller form anyways..

@i-only-created-this-to-read

So far I don't have intentions for there to have been any tenants before Wally.. or at least no one will ever find out who they were or what happened to them.

As for how old Home is, I haven't decided this and its also a complete mystery to the neighbors. Poppy has lived there ever since she was a child and Home was already there when she moved in..

Now Home could get creative and find different ways to harm or even kill those it doesn't like.. but thankfully Home doesn't have any intentions to hurt anyone, especially not Wally. Home wouldn't even try to significantly hurt Barnaby, despite him getting in the way of Homes plans.. although Home cant resist the occasional stubbed toe or splinter out of frustration...

As for adding stuff to Home's body.. if Wally purposefully slapped a strip of duct tape on the wall, that wouldn't really become a part of Homes body. Things only really attach to Home if they are significant.

Examples being a new shelf. An added wall to split a room, cutting a hole in the wall and installing a window, ripping up carpet and installing hardwood floors, etc. The nail holding up a picture frame or that nail gun plugged into the wall are not apart of Home..

Though that's not to say Home cant control the outlets, it can! But that would only give Home the power to turn the nail gun on and off. Home cant make the gun fire..

As for plants, even if they engulf Home and grow in-between the floorboards, Home cannot control plants.. or if there was moss or some kind of fungus growing on the walls? If it ate away at the wood that plank would just die off and Home couldn't feel/control it anymore..

Lastly, Home being able to move things quickly is kind'a what you would imagine. Home moves them as fast as that object can reasonably move. How fast do you think you could slam a door? How fast do you think the window would slam down shut if you gave it all your might?

I hope I cleared up these questions! :00 And sorry if I accidentally missed one or two! <:D

OUUGHH I LOVE THIS!! ITS MAKING ME WANT TO DRAW THE COMIC AGAIN XDDDD

No worries! :DD

@soulful-rodent

On desktop the limit appears to be 100, I'll see what I can do! 😅Also thank you! :))

AW! :DDD I'm glad they like it! But yeah absolutely keep it to the light stuff-- my Octonauts art has a surprising amount of blood in it for a kids show 💀

(Referencing this post)

I might just be! XD🪄✨✨✨Also thank you!! :)))

@captain-skyler1987

Oof... welcome back? <:D ... sorry-

Awe! I'm glad to hear you liked my Gravity Falls stuff!! :DDD Thank you so much!! :))

@jayemover-16

Oh no no! :0 reblogging is a feature of Tumblr and is not reposting! :))

My idea is that Wally only really has sleepovers with Barnaby. He would have sleep overs with Howdy too, but that Pillar's on a pretty tight sleeping schedule/routine <XD

Now Barnaby has noticed that Wally sleeps better when he crashes at his place. Because of this he has started offering his house as a getaway for Wally when ever he notices he seems a little extra tired..

Something to note; neither Barnaby nor Wally think something is wrong with Wally's house because of this- they're just starting to think that Wally's anxiety is worse when he's alone..

Also thank you so much!! :DDDD

@wolfie-777

I don't think much would change to be honest.. they'd still be the same old Wally and Barnaby even after a species swap!

This was sent right after I commented that I'm still open to Welcome Home suggestions. Are these Welcome Home AUs..? <:0 I am unfamiliar with them..

Oof, went back and fixed it. I tend to type too fast and get slime and smile mixed up. 😅

It can be a little embarrassing when people point out my typos, mostly because every single typo I make is pointed out every single time without fail.😅💀 But no worries, I know you meant no harm-

[pandamoniumvibes-27]

Marie and Callie Headcannons

A/N: this has been in my drafts for a bit but I just want to say a big thanks to @lemur4573 and @wlitzenden for helping me! I’m going to be doing more splatoon content in the future but it will be more art related.

—————

Callie and Marie used to go to their grandpa’s house all the time when they were squidlings.

Captain Cuddlefish would tell them war stories handing them out like they were casual bedtime tales.

Callie and Marie would just look in awe while their parents looked at their dad disapprovingly because “octolings don’t exist”

~~~

As Callie and Marie got older they stopped believing in Cuddlefish’s stories they just “got to old for squidling tales”

so when their gramps asked for help they thought their grandpa was just having one of his crazy fits and they would just be helping him out

“THIS IS NOT BINGO!!!!!” Was heard through out octo valley

~~~

When Callie and Marie first started as agents they were not only very new but also very bad at fighting

Callie was only somewhat decent with a roller and Marie was a weak charger main (having only played a couple of turf wars and ranked being unpopular)

Callie was given dualies and rolled off the bridge. Marie was give a hero shot and kept trying to shoot from towers

Not to mention how Callie was treating this like a episode of Totally Spies

“They never look up shooting from above us the best option.”

“Your ink isn’t even touching the squiggle monster!”

“They are called octarians Callie don’t be rude.”

They were awful thankfully cuddlefish did boot camp

Wait…

oh no…

“Gramps how did you get into are house?”

“WAKE UP SOILDERS!!!!!”

“BETTER CLEAN THOSE DISHES I WANT THEM SPOTLESS!!!!!”

“Gramps it’s 7 IN THE MORNING.”

Marie became better with a charger just to keep Gramps away from their house.

She even spotted him in the bushes that one time.

“Marie don’t you think it’s bad splatting Grandpa?”

“Do you want to be forced into cleaning the whole house and working out before we can even get coffee again?”

~~~

Callie is a big fan of Candyland and Marie is big fan of chess as you can imagine it is interesting to see the two try to play each others games

“My brain hurts!!!! Can we play Candyland?”

“That game is boring it is mindless I’m losing brain cells by thinking about it!”

The two can agree on some games

1. Being Monopoly which is permanently banned after Callie started crying/threatening to break Marie’s charger and Marie becoming extremely rude/threatening to burn Callie’s limited edition collectibles

2. Clue: they like a good detective mystery!

~~~

Callie and Marie always need noise in order to work. Marie is too used to hearing Callie humming or talking that if it is silent when she’s working she get nervous and Callie. Well she just like combining work with dance party.

“Callie!!!!”

“Yea?”

“Oh you’re right here. I thought you were in the kitchen.”

“I was but then I grabbed my headphones and I started to listen to music!”

“Oh…”

“Don’t worry I didn’t blow up the microwave again!”

~~~

They are both bilingual, octarian being their second language. However Callie is way more comfortable with the language. Callie can talk for hours in octarian but Marie has become much more comfortable with the language after Agent 8 and Marina became official agents.

Now they have to try and teach agent 4.

“Now agent 4 this is a great chance to practice your octarian what does the sign say?”

…

“Agent 4?”

“This hurts my brain to much.”

“Agent 4 stop walking away! This is how we are gonna stop the next octarian threat that could destroy society as we know it!!!!!”

“Hehe you sound like gramps!”

…

“Nooooo….”

~~~

Marie and Callie are both great at different things when it comes to performing. Callie is great with expressions and high energy while Marie can memorize her lines and choreography faster

Together they help each other and make a great team

After practice though they can always be seen hanging out in the square enjoying something to eat

They just know that when the song comes out the public will be impressed.

“MARIE! I think I finally mastered the choreography for our new song I’ll show you!”

“CALLIE! We’re in public!”

As long as someone doesn’t leak the choreography first

————

[thepaintedlady00]

Okay, not that 16 is up it's time for a schedule update! There's one more chapter of the series and then it will be over. I know it's bittersweet, but once more info about the possible season 2 gets released I'll be able to give y'all a timeline on when the sequel will be coming! 🥰

So first I wanna just say thank you guys for all the love and support you've given me and this series from day 1! It means so much to me and I'm so proud of the story and how much it has impacted so many of you. 🥰 I am so grateful for your support and kind words so thank you.

I am still getting together all the candidates for the next series. I'm not sure if it will be Sandman related, but I plan on holding a kind of vote to gauge what y'all are most interested in seeing next (if you're just here for Sandman content I completely understand and don't worry there will be plenty of oneshots, povs, requests and mini series coming for that fandom).

Here is the current line up of coming content:

Chapter 17 (Sunday/Monday)

Desire oneshot (request) (Tuesday, 25th)

Smut oneshot (request) (Wednesday, 26th)

Whitelighter oneshot once upon a time (request) (Thursday, 27th)

Whitelighter oneshot (request) kids from the future (Thursday, 27th)

The Dreaming Shenanigans Mini series:

Human holidays (Friday, 28th)

Pen finds out Dream can turn into a cat (Friday, 28th)

The Toad & The Butterfly Babysit (Saturday, 29th)

Dream & Lyta fude (Saturday, 29th)

Cat Dream Sneaks into see Daniel & purs? (Sunday, 30th)

Lord Meowpheus (Sunday, 30th)

Cain & Abel drug the king with catnip (Monday, 31st)

A ball (Monday, 31st)

In between these smaller works I'll be posting blurbs of works I'm considering for the next potential series (I will be bringing in new fandom's as well as my own original worlds/stories) that y'all can read and give me your feedback on and then at the end of all that I'll hold a long vote and after a week or two reveal the winner with the first chapter of the winning vote/the piece I'm feeling most connected to (your votes will always be considered, but I will never put up work I'm not feeling confident in or connected to, so I will have kind of the last say if it comes down to it)

Once again thank you everyone! 🥺 I am so excited to get new things started and for y'all to get to see it all!

Tag List:

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[dogtoling]

Overall, I'm rather disappointed with the DLC. We get to endure 3 months of fan theories and speculation over basically nothing. We know nothing about what will happen.

I will note that this is confirmed to be present-day Inkopolis. So I know Inklings are kinda stupid, but are they really so stupid that they completely miss Inkopolis Square turning completely white?

Wave 1 is kinda boring. Considering I just got a Wii U, seeing the hub world again is so boring. They could have done so much more with the first Wave and they're just leaning on nostalgia to do the talking. What's the difference? I get Inkopolis in 1080p?

Anyway, back to side order. First off, I do not want another playable species, or for Nintendo to rush one in haphazardly. Octolings were an exception since they were already planned to be added in S1 but it just didn't make sense story-wise. I don't want them to rush one in without good reason just because the fans want it.

Next, we know nothing about Side Order. Yay, Inkopolis Square is white. Oh and here's some artwork that tells us nothing about the game. Theorize for the next few months while we figure out what and when to release stuff. Oh, and it might take us until next year to release the DLC so there's that (as much as I want Wave 2 this year, they didn't put 2024 on the eShop for nothing). I'm gonna hate scrolling through Reddit knowing we're gonna be throwing around theories for a long while.

I also really don't want this to be about Agent 8. She got an entire DLC to herself and she actually has a backstory, while 4 and Neo have next to nothing for a backstory. (3 technically doesn't either, but that was made up for with OE and S3's story mode). I'd love for Agent 4 to make a return, but knowing she probably won't is sad. I overall don't like how they shuffle between the same 5 characters in every story mode. Always Callie and Marie, Cap'n Cuttlefish somewhere, and a clueless you. They mixed it up with Pearl and Marina, but still kept Cuttlefish and 3. Just give us someone new! Reusing old characters is fine, but not 4 times in a row.

Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts. They were fun to read :)

relatable thoughts. To be fair, none of the inklings seemed to care that there was a massive death cannon in Inkopolis Bay during Octo Expansion either, so inkopolis square getting bleached and everyone just being like "oh okay" wouldn't even be that far-off, lol. I don't think it's literally the square in the real world.

HUGE agree with the reusing of the characters. I know it's a Nintendo trademark to throw around the same marketable characters in every game until the end of time, and honestly I wouldn't mind character-focused stories IF THE STORIES WERE ACTUALLY CHARACTER-FOCUSED AND THE CHARACTERS WERE GOOD. Especially OE and RotM so far felt like they were trying to tell some completely different and interesting story but the idols just HAD to be shoved in there for no reason, and the story isn't even about the characters in the end, they're just kind of there - but they're there enough to retract from other cool stuff that the story COULD'VE been about....

On the topic of a new playable species, I agree it would be weird if they added one out of the blue and it might set an annoying expectation for a new species to be added in every game. On the other hand, I want cuttlefish... there's been concepts of cuttlefish in the game before and it feels like it SHOULD happen at some point, given the common consensus of cephalopods as a group is "squids, octopuses and cuttlefish". Yet we have no cuttlefish... but we DO have an angry cuttlefish graffiti sticker alongside the angry squid and octopus ones. As to how they'd add cuttlefish and make it fit and not feel sudden and out of place, I have no idea.

[vanrougelia]

Hiii Kiru!! Could I request Riddle, Azul and Jamil with a GN reader (can be a separate character from Yuu) that acts like Gentaro Yumeno? I love your writing style!!

hi anon!! im glad you like my writing style thank you!! gentaro is one of my faves in hypmic so don't mind me writing a lot here💗 if you get a certain hypmic reference here i love you forever /p.

note: reader is not yuu/mc. not proofread, might contain grammatical mistakes. slight riddle favoritism

Azul, Riddle, and Jamil with S/O that acts like Gentaro Yumeno.

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS is interested in the way you speak and the fact that you always carry a notebook with you. he knows that you are an author, so there's no surprise with your creativity in words. you seem to always have interesting stories to tell. so he doesn't mind listening to you ramble for a while.

what he doesn't like is that you are a good liar. well, you are good at storytelling, so he is not fazed by it. however, he might not be able to keep his composure whenever you tell stories about you and him. "oh! me and riddle used to be star-crossed lovers in the past life. i was a princess and he was a samurai, and we were born to be meant for each other." that got to be a lie, right? his face became bright red as he heard that statement. "hey! you're not serious, right?!" he blurted. RIDDLE's reaction made you chuckle, which you reply with "of course, that is all a lie. maybe the lovers part will happen soon."

the poor second year almost malfunctioned on the spot. though, the thought of you dating RIDDLE enticed his mind. your stories are so convincing that other people actually believe what you said. you are actually entertaining to him, since he could ask you to make up stories for him whenever he feels bothered. of course, there are times you make the boy flustered. "thou must tell me if you wish to be with me, rosehearts," you giggled. he then scoffed, "hmph, what if you told me it's a lie?" honestly, you're not surprised that he said that. "of course, that's a lie, i am not that interested in you." you added. of course, that statement made the housewarden sad. in order to get his hopes up again, you said once again:

"well, that is also a lie. i like you so much, riddle-san."

somehow, AZUL ASHENGROTTO has a feeling that half of what you're saying is a lie. he won't lie, you almost had him there, but he won't give in to your made-up stories. somehow, he's surprised that you manage to convince floyd with your storytelling technique.

oh, you're an author, you say? no wonder why you are good at persuading people with your stories, especially with the way you talk. maybe, he might be able to convince you to work with him on mostro lounge with a gig as a storyteller, maybe sign a contract with him. he is not expecting you to agree to work with him, but he still has hope that you may say yes. "of course, i'd like to work with you, AZUL-san," you smiled. that made the octo-merman have a grin on his face, only to drop later as you follow up with the "well, that's a lie."

how could you pass up this rare opportunity to work with him? "really? don't you want to earn extra thaumarks along the way?" AZUL sighed, trying to make you have second thoughts, which only made you laugh it off. "of course i want to, what i said earlier was also a lie."

if there's anything that can make AZUL scream internally, it has to be you for your persuasive lying. "ashengrotto, thou must take a breather first. you look like you're about to lose your mind, me thinks," you added as you skimmed through your pocket notebook.

"me being concerned to you isn't a lie. i can't have the person i like to hate me, right?"

if there's anything that could make JAMIL VIPER have migraine, it's gotta be you being a persuasive liar and kalim's burst of energy combined.

he is getting more concerned about kalim having to hear every story you tell. surely, you're not trying to coax him with something bad? you noticed the vice-housewarden's annoyed look at you as you chuckled at him. "JAMIL-san, thou must know that everything i tell kalim-san is not bad stories. he seemed interested in hearing it, why don't you join him? methinks you might like it."

of course, JAMIL isn't convinced. he won't lie, your stories as an author is really good that it is able to convince people that some events actually happened, or at least that's what they thought. you also told kalim a ridiculous story before, in which he didn't think that it's not true.

"before i got transferred here, i used to have a lover," you stated. you had a what? that certainly piqued JAMIL's interest. "we were so sweet to each other. we were basically the cutest couple! my, i wonder how he's doing right now," you added, as you continue to read on your notebook. after hearing what you said, the vice-housewarden's heart felt a pang, but he decided to shrug it off. of course, you noticed this, so you giggled at the poor boy as you told him, "oh by the way, that is all a lie."

this only made JAMIL more annoyed at you since he fell right to your lies, but internally, he was glad that you didn't have any romantic interactions with others before. maybe, he'll grow to like you more as time passes.

[witcher-and-his-bard-archive]

Stranded and Geraskier? 🧜‍♂️

Pairing: Geralt x Jaskier Warning(s): non-human anatomy, tentacles (in every possible way), choking/breathplay Rating: explicit

Summary:  While exploring a cave, Jaskier gets trapped by the tide, but the inhabitant is more than happy to find a way to help him pass the time.

I took this idea and ran with it! Thank you for the opportunity to write octo!Geralt, I've been wanting to for a while now <3

There is a reason they say the northern end of the beach is off-limits, but Jaskier has always been inquisitive and rather terrible at following instructions, so it's no surprise that he ends up there anyway. He's been staying on the coast for a while now and while he always loves coming back, he's feeling a little restless lately. So he's taken to taking strolls along the beach in the early morning or the evening while he's not performing, but today he has the entire day free, so he's come a little earlier than usual to try and settle himself.

But the usual route isn't doing anything for him today. The sand is still soft and warm on his feet and the waves still crash rhythmically on the shore, but he just wants something new. So, when he reaches the end of his normal walk and comes to the gated off area at the northernmost end of the beach, he slips past the gate and continues. Nothing immediately jumps out at him as dangerous, so he just strolls along, shuffling his feet through the sand.

The beach is usually quiet, but right now there isn't another person in sight and Jaskier revels in the silence, humming to himself as he goes along. When he comes to the point, he follows the tapering beach around to a point and beyond it, there's a little more land that leads into a rocky outcrop. He can't get past it, but he could climb up it and sit in the sun, looking out over the ocean.

He wades through the water where it rises to midway up his shins before reaching the other side, but when he reaches the stone ledge, he spots what looks like a cave. And he can't just not go look at it. So he takes another quick peek just to ensure no one else is around and hurries toward the opening in the rock. The sun above is bright, but the overhang of rock offers some relief from the heat, so he takes his time.

The entrance is, in fact, the mouth of a cave and Jaskier grins to himself, slipping inside. It's not deep, but at the back there is a drop-off and a tunnel that leads further. He walks forward steps around the gaping hole in the ground, careful to keep his footing as he aims for the tunnel. It's dark, but he can still see a little - well enough to continue on for the time being - and up ahead there's a faint glow that piques his interest.

So he doesn't stop when the light starts to fade, just heads toward the glow at the back of the tunnel. It's some ways down, but he does eventually come out into another cave with a smooth rocky floor and another tunnel leading off. But what interests Jaskier more than anything is the plant life. It grows on the walls and ceiling and it glows.

It lets off a faint bluish glow and Jaskier leans up to inspect it. Some of the plants grow little purplish flowers, but most of them resemble moss or vines and Jaskier would be inclined to call them plain if they grew in a forest and weren't luminescent. But they are and he's fascinated by it.

He spends more time than he should inspecting all the different types of growth - there are at least four distinct plans he can see all growing together - and it's not until the light from the opposite end of the tunnel begins to fade that he realizes he should turn back. He has a performance tonight and he'd like the chance to bathe and change beforehand.

He slips from the room he's in, heading back through the tunnel, but the ground beneath his feet slopes downward and he doesn't realize until water splashes around his ankles. It startles him at first; there was no water on the way in, but as he reaches the main cave, he realizes what has happened.

He's spent too long exploring and the tide has come in around him, too far now to walk out the way he came in. And Jaskier is a good swimmer, but water swirls dangerously where the hole in the ground is, pouring quickly into, it and he's not a strong enough swimmer to keep from being sucked down. Even as he considers it, the water swirling around his feet rises higher and his only option is to turn back the way he came. Which is not a great option, but he doesn't really see what else he's supposed to do.

But he turns around and heads back through the tunnel. The incline is more than he remembers, and judging by what he knows of the tides - very little - he thinks he should be safe to hide out here until it goes back down again. He finds a bare patch of wall and drops to the ground to lean against it, sighing softly as he listens to the water rising in the tunnel. It splashes against stone and Jaskier shuts his eyes, focusing on the calming sound of it. Maybe the time will pass more quickly if he can just have a little nap.

But the more he listens, the more he hears and there's a slick, sliding sound he's been assuming was seaweed caught in the current, but when he focuses hard enough, he can hear something not unlike breathing. His eyes flash open and he scans the room but sees nothing. Then, out of the corner of his eye, there's a shadow.

Jaskier's heart races because he knows the kinds of things that live in the sea; sirens, drowners and any number of animals that would be happy enough to eat him alive. So he presses himself against the wall and keeps quiet.

Something long and thin slips over his foot, curling around his ankle, and Jaskier's eyes flash open. He hadn't even realized they were still shut, but when he looks up there's a person in front of him, or at least he looks like a person. But as he comes closer, Jaskier realizes he only looks human from the waist up. Below the waist is a mass of dark tentacles, sprawled out all around him and propelling him forward.

Jaskier shudders at the sight of him, but as he approaches, the fear dissipates a little, replaced with intrigue. The man - if he can be called that at all - doesn't seem angry or upset and he has a friendly enough expression. He slips closer, sinking lower so he's face-to-face with Jaskier and it becomes clear that he's just as curious about Jaskier as Jaskier is about him.

"Uh, sorry," Jaskier mumbles, "I didn't mean to intrude, I just ah-" one of the tentacles reaches out, tipping his chin up and sliding across his jaw. "I just got trapped-?" His voice rises at the end like a question, but the creature just cocks his head at him.

"The tide," he says and Jaskier nods. He's got a beautiful voice, deep and rough and in any other situation, incredibly sexy. But while Jaskier isn't discriminating in his choice of partners, he's still feeling rather trapped.

"Mmhm."

"It won't go down again until morning. Unless you can hold your breath for a long time, you'll have to spend the night."

"Oh." Jaskier is caught off guard by the lightness of his response and he looks up at him. "You don't mind?" he asks and the creature just smiles at him, an odd sort of smile that makes something in Jaskier's stomach flip.

"Stay," he says, "it'll be hours before the tide is low enough for you to leave again."

"You're not going to eat me?" The creature laughs and slides a little closer, peering at him.

"No. I've never had a… human in my home before. I'm certainly not going to kill you." He chuckles softly and swishes away to the other side of the cave, but Jaskier is caught on the sound of his laugh, a warm, welcoming thing that he'd like very much to hear again. And, well, he has all night.

"Sorry," he says, rising to his feet and following the creature to the other side, "I don't know what - who - you are."

"Geralt," he says plainly, "I'm a cecaelia. We've been here longer than most, but many of us don't come so close to the surface, so you wouldn't have met many."

"Haven't met any," Jaskier confirms. "We're told to stay away from the creatures who live in the sea." Geralt lifts an eyebrow at the word creature, but doesn't say anything about it. Jaskier makes a mental note not to repeat it.

"And you," Geralt prompts, "what's your name, human?"

"Jaskier," he huffs and I get the point. "Do you live here alone?"

"Yes, unless you count the fish who filter in and out with the tides."

"You must get lonely."

Geralt gives him a look that from anyone else he might consider flirtatious, and it stirs something inside him that he quickly tamps down. This isn't the time to get turned on. Especially not by someone who's not human.

"Occasionally. I'm used to being alone."

Jaskier isn't sure how to respond to that, so he lets the conversation drop. He wants to assure him, which is a strange compulsion because he doesn't even know Geralt. Two hours ago he couldn't have cared less about a man living on his own in this cave. But now…

He looks him over, following the line of his body from his strong jaw and thick chest down to the mass of tentacles that never quite seem to stop moving. Even when Geralt is still, they shift under him like he's trying to settle, though he seems calm. More like an unconscious motion, maybe. But Jaskier is fascinated by them. He wants to touch, to feel, but he knows well enough to keep his hands to himself when unwanted, so he switches focus.

"So what's it like living down here?" he asks, looking around the cave as though he hadn't spent ages exploring it already.

"Quiet," Geralt says tiredly, "peaceful. But that's not what you want to talk about, is it? You can ask," he hums.

"I just-"

"Jaskier, we have all night down here together. Ask."

"Do they ever stop moving?" he blurts and heat creeps into his cheeks at the abruptness of it, but Geralt just chuckles softly.

"When I sleep. When I'm relaxed."

"Then what's wrong, now? If you're not relaxed."

"I have… questions of my own."

"Okay," Jaskier says, "ask away."

"Can I… touch you?" he asks and Jaskier's breath catches.

"If you like. I have nothing to hide."

Geralt shifts forward, reaching out to brush a tentacle under his chin again, tipping his head up and moving it side to side. It feels like an examination, like the time he fell ill and had to be taken to a healer, but Geralt's touch is much softer, much more delicate than that.

"I've never met a human before either," he says conversationally, "you're… softer than I expected."

"Softer?" Jaskier laughs, "how so?"

"Your… skin looks thick and rough, but it's soft, smooth." He presses the tip of the tentacle against his cheek, pressing in gently. "Like a jellyfish," he adds and Jaskier laughs again.

"Is that bad?"

"No," Geralt hums, tilting his own head as he turns Jaskier's. "I like it." Another tentacle curls around the back of his neck and Jaskier breathes deeply, trying hard not to think too much about the touch, about how it feels like a lover's touch.

He's had countless lovers slip a hand around his neck to pull him closer and he leans in without thinking, letting Geralt have full control over him. Geralt grins and smiles knowingly at him, sliding the tentacle from his neck to his shoulder and down over his chest. The tip of it slips into the gaps in Jaskier's shirt, poking at the buttons holding it closed.

"Why do you wear these?" he asks, not looking up from his exploration. "Don't they get in the way?"

"No," Jaskier shakes his head and hates to admit that he sounds a little breathless. "They keep me warm. I'd freeze in the cold weather without clothes. And they keep me covered. It's not polite to walk around naked all the time."

"For humans," Geralt amends and Jaskier nods. "I'm not human." Jaskier chokes on the implication, but Geralt just meets his eyes questioningly.

"You can take it off, if you want."

Geralt doesn't need to be told twice. He fumbles with the button at first, but when he brings up a second tentacle to push at it, he has much more luck. Jaskier wants to tell him he could just use his hands, but there's something fascinating about the potential of having those tentacles on his skin. Once the buttons are undone, Geralt shoves the shirt back off his shoulders leaving it half-tucked into his trousers.

He frowns at Jaskier's chest, running his tentacles over his skin. Jaskier gasps when he brushes over a nipple and leans into the touch instinctively. He draws back just as abruptly, gasping as he realizes what he's doing. He doesn't have a chance to apologize before Geralt's touch lightens. He doesn't pull away, but he tips his head at him.

"Should I stop?" he asks, but the tone of his voice implies that he doesn't want to.

"I just- Geralt you don't know what you're doing."

"I do," he hums, "this part of you, I understand. It feels good for you?"

"Yeah. Do you- do you want to make it feel good?"

"If you'll let me," Geralt hums, "I've always been… intrigued by you, by humans." Jaskier grins and pushes forward, sliding one hand down the length of the tentacle exploring his chest.

"Can I touch you, too?"

"Of course, I'd like that."

"You realize what you're offering, right? Not that I'm opposed, but I want to make sure we're both on the same page, here."

"Jaskier," he hums, "we have all night and I'd very much like to fuck you if you're amenable."

Jaskier's skin prickles and he lets out a little groan. Maybe he should feel weird about Geralt wanting to fuck him just because he's human, but he's vibrating at the thought of it already.

"Please," he whispers and Geralt moves immediately.

He wraps one tentacle around his waist, hauling him in and holding him close. He tugs the shirt from Jaskier's trousers, chucking it aside as Jaskier straddles him, careful where he puts his knees so he doesn't hurt Geralt. But Geralt keeps him off the ground, hovering slightly so Jaskier's front presses against him firmly, but so he only barely touches Geralt's tentacles or the webbing between them.

Jaskier presses himself forward, conscious of the fastenings on his trousers as he grinds against Geralt's torso. Tentacles wind around his hips and chest and thighs, slipping against his skin then pausing to suck at it. It sends shivers up his spine and goosebumps break out over his skin. The feeling is so foreign, the feeling of suction all over his skin, but it feels good and he leans into it.

Geralt's hands settle on his shoulders, slowly sliding down, and Jaskier glances up to meet his eyes. Geralt's have grown dark, but there's still a sliver of gold around his pupils and Jaskier finds himself entranced by it, how it shimmers and almost glows even in the low light. He touches Geralt's face, traces the line of his cheekbones and runs his thumb against his lip.

"You're beautiful," he whispers and Geralt's hands slip to his waist, pulling him up against him. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

Jaskier leans in and Geralt meets him halfway, kissing him hard and nipping his lip with teeth sharper than they ought to be. Though Jaskier supposes he doesn't have much for a frame of reference when it comes to cecaelia. He deepens the kiss, letting Geralt's tongue slide into his mouth, thinner and more pointed than his own. He licks into him, fingers digging into his skin as he grips his thighs, and Jaskier just holds on for the ride.

All his experience with other people means nothing when faced with Geralt and he's feeling a little out of his depth as he's laid back against the stone floor again. Geralt breaks the kiss long enough to squirm in between his thighs and then reaches down, fumbling with the clasps of Jaskier's trousers. He gets them undone and shoves them down his legs, immediately getting his tentacles back on his bare skin.

"Oh," Jaskier gasps, "oh, that's good, Geralt."

"Feels good?"

"Very. Keep going."

Jaskier shuts his eyes as Geralt's tentacles slip between his legs, brushing against his balls before squeezing around his thighs. Geralt hums and gets his arms around Jaskier's waist, sliding one hand down over his ass.

"Tell me what to do," Geralt says, tilting his head to kiss Jaskier's jaw, "tell me what feels good."

"Anything," Jaskier hums, "just touch me."

"Like this?" Geralt asks, sliding a tentacle around his torso and Jaskier nods, eyes fluttering as suction cups catch on his nipples. He moans softly, reaching out to run his hands up Geralt's chest and Geralt pushes into the touch. "You like that, too?"

"Yes." Jaskier revels in the surprising warmth of his skin, soft and smooth over firm muscles and he slides his hands up over his shoulders, pulling Geralt close to kiss him again. He sighs into his mouth and Geralt deepens the kiss, pressing further against him.

He's got Jaskier almost completely bound now, wrapped tightly and held just above his lap, but he moves forward, tipping him back and laying him on the ground. Abruptly, all of the tentacles around him are gone and Jaskier is left alone and suddenly cold on the ground, but it doesn't last long. Geralt slides up over his thighs, settling himself there where he has full access to Jaskier's body.

He runs tentacles over his chest and Jaskier stretches out, pushing his arms up above his head to give Geralt better access to him. His touch feels good, like a massage. Geralt doesn't hesitate to touch anywhere, pushing his thighs apart and sliding between them, sliding up around his balls as another curls around his cock, squeezing experimentally.

Jaskier gives a little whine and Gerakt's eyes flash up to meet his. He does it again, harder this time and Jaskier squirms under him. Geralt's eyes go wide and he grins as he slips his tentacle up the length of him and Jaskier nearly chokes because he's doing it on purpose now. The arm around his balls squeezes a little too and Jaskier tenses up immediately, expecting pain, but it's… good. He shudders a little as his thighs spread further and then Geralt's squeezing again, wrapping around him.

It's not something he's ever done with anyone before, but Geralt has no idea what he likes and doesn't like, or even what feels good for humans, so he's exploring. And evidently, Jaskier is learning a thing or two, also.

Geralt moves on, sliding back up his stomach again and Jaskier shudders as they slip over his hips, over the sensitive skin just above his cock. He wants to let Geralt continue his exploration, but he wants the pressure around his cock again, wants to fuck into the heat of him. Geralt's skin is thicker and rougher than his own, but it's smooth and it feels good against his prick and he just wants.

"Geralt," he whispers, "come here." Geralt cocks his head and leans forward over him. He runs his hands up Geralt's chest, slipping over his shoulders and around his neck to tug him down.

He nips at Geralt's lips, nuzzles at his neck and rocks up against him. He's hard already Geralt's skin just feels so fucking good against his heated cock. He jerks again, pushing up hard and tangling his hands in Geralt's hair. He slips one hand out of Geralt's hair and wraps his hand around Geralt's tentacle and pulls it down between them, sliding it alongside his cock until Geralt gets the idea and wraps around him.

"You like this?" he asks and Jaskier moans softly, rolling his head back as he lets out a breathy yes.

Geralt makes a thoughtful sound and squeezes firmly, eliciting another moan and he seems very pleased with himself. He strokes him a couple of times, slipping right up to the head and sliding around him as he goes. It's intoxicating and Jaskier doesn't know if his own hand will ever be sufficient again, after this.

But Geralt still delights in finding the new things and he slips away shortly, slipping up to play with Jaskier's nipples again and Jaskier just groans. Geralt perks up, grinning at him.

"Do you want this?" he asks, slipping over his aching cock again. Jaskier nods and Geralt strokes him exactly twice before winding down around his thighs and squeezing.

"Geralt," Jaskier groans, "please."

"What do you want?" he asks, a smirk spreading across his face. Jaskier could kill him, the bastard. He's toying with him.

"You know what I want."

"Do I? Remind me."

Jaskier groans and grabs for the tentacle again, wrapping it around himself and thrusting up into the coils. He moans softly, dropping his eyes shut and slips his hands around the coiled arm, keeping it tight around him.

"Seems like you've got it under control," Geralt teases, but before Jaskier can even argue, he's leaning down over him, nipping at his collarbone and squeezing around Jaskier's cock.

"Oh, Geralt, please."

His hips buck hard and Geralt coils and uncoils around him and it's a delightful feeling like nothing he's ever felt before. Jaskier whimpers and his hips jerk up into the loose coils, immediately aching for the touch again. But Geralt seems to have lost his taste for teasing now and holds tight around him, ensuring Jaskier's entire cock is engulfed by him, jerking abortively up into the grip of him.

And Jaskier could cry with how good it feels, the rough slickness of Geralt's skin creating a burning need that spreads through him and he's gonna come in no time like this, but he doesn't even mind. Because after he comes, he gets to touch Geralt, to figure out all the little things that turn him on and he looks forward to it with delight.

Geralt pulls him back to the present with a sharp bite to the join of his neck and Jaskier cries out, jerking hard into his tentacle.

"Sorry," Geralt hums, already licking over the mark, but Jaskier shakes his head.

"Fuck, don't be. Do that again."

Geralt lifts his head to look at him then tentatively lowers his head, brushing his lips against the skin of his neck before kissing him. He nibbles lightly at his throat and sucks softly before nosing under his jaw and biting down hard on the side of his neck. Jaskier gasps and moans and his cock jerks as he comes hard, still encompassed by Geralt's body.

Geralt continues with the slipping, almost like wringing a cloth, and Jaskier is breathless and gasping, already swelling again under the touch by the time he pulls away.

"Fuck me," he breathes, "Gods, Geralt you are incredible."

Geralt hums, but his attention is clearly diverted and when Jaskier looks up, he's playing with the come on his chest, slipping the tip of one tentacle through it and lifting it up to sniff at it. Jaskier wrinkles his nose, but then Geralt's putting it in his mouth, flicking his tongue out to taste it and his gut clenches. That… should not be as hot as it is.

Geralt grins down at him and climbs up over him, pressing something warm and wet against Jaskier's cock as he settles himself.

"You look good," he hums, "when you come." Jaskier just groans and presses up against Geralt's underside. He gets a little gasp in response and grins to himself.

"What is that?" he asks, "do you- how do cecaelia fuck?"

Geralt doesn't answer, but shifts again, pressing harder down against Jaskier's prick. It catches on something and Geralt lifts himself just a little, keeping himself steady as he maneuvers Jaskier's cock inside him without so much as touching it.

His eyelids flutter and he moans softly as he sinks down on him, fully engulfing Jaskier's cock and clenching around him.

"Feels fuckin' amazing," Jaskier huffs, though that might be the sensitivity talking. He's not used to coming and immediately being (mounted) afterward, but he's not complaining.

"Mm," Geralt affirms, "it's been a long time since I've taken something inside, but-" he groans as Jaskier shifts his hips and drops forward, leaning on his elbows. "Fuck me," he whispers before leaning in to kiss Jaskier's neck. "Please, fuck me."

Jaskier doesn't need to be told twice. He slides his hands down, settling on the swell of what would be Geralt's hips and holding him down. He rocks into the tight heat, eyes rolling back as Geralt clenches continually around him, and nuzzling against his head.

"Gods," he breathes, "fuck Geralt, does this feel as good for you as it does for me?"

"Feels good," he huffs, "really, really good." He bites at Jaskier's skin and shifts himself forward before sliding down fully on Jaskier's cock again and rising up to sit on him.

Jaskier glances down, running his fingers down Geralt's waist and pauses when he reaches a bump. Geralt's breath catches and Jaskier presses more firmly against it, massaging the spot until Geralt lets out a low, rumbling moan.

Beneath his fingers, the skin parts and Jaskier pulls back abruptly, but Geralt reaches out, pulls his hand back against it.

"Please," he mumbles, "it's been… a long time since anyone has touched me like this."

Jaskier lets his fingertips trace the seam, slipping just barely inside when Geralt shudders. Geralt keeps a firm hand around his wrist, holding him there and Jaskier is intrigued as to what feels that good. He doesn't have to wait long to find out.

Beneath his fingers, something slips free from the slit, thick and red and very much dick-like. He flicks his eyes up to Geralt's, holding his gaze as he wraps his fingers around the head of it. Geralt groans and his cock slips further out, slipping into Jaskier's palm. Jaskier curls his hand around him, stroking evenly until Geralt's fully unsheathed and Jaskier's fingers can no longer press into the slit at the base of him.

"Good?" Jaskier asks and Geralt nods, rocking up into his fingers and back onto his cock. "How come no one touches you like this?" He can't possibly imagine fucking someone like Geralt and not wanting to touch every inch of him.

"I haven't seen another cecaelia in years," he breathes, "and it's not as good on my own." He flexes his hand showing off clawed fingers and Jaskier nods, understanding.

"How do you touch yourself normally?" Geralt licks his lips and Jaskier follows the motion with his tongue, rolling his hips up into him. Geralt raises a tentacle, wiggling it at him.

Jaskier reaches out with his free hand, wrapping his fingers around it, lifting it and running his fingertip along the lip of the suction cups as Geralt holds it aloft. It shivers under his touch and Jaskier grins as he looks up to see Geralt's face pinched up in pleasure, sharp teeth digging into his bottom lip.

"Does that.. do you like that?"

"Geralt nods silently," pressing the tentacle more firmly into his grasp.

"What if I-" Jaskier starts and Geralt's eyes go wide as he slips his palm along the underside of the tentacle and brings the tip toward his mouth.

The limb twitches toward Jaskier's mouth and as he wraps his lips around it, the rest of the wriggle around him. Jaskier sucks it into his mouth and Geralt groans. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing that should feel good, but he likes having his fingers sucked, so he assumes it's something similar to that.

He winds his tongue between the cups, tracing the shape of each of them before taking it as deep as he can, sucking hard. Geralt groans, withdrawing a little before pushing back between his lips and Jaskier hums around him. He lets Geralt take control, leaning back on one elbow, one hand still slipping against his hip as he rocks.

From here, he has a perfect view of Geralt's cock, jutting proudly from his body as he fucks himself on Jaskier's cock. He's slick and dripping and Jaskier aches to get his mouth on him, to suck him off and make him come in his mouth. He squirms with the desire, sucking hard on the limb in his mouth instead and Geralt jerks forward hard.

He surges forward, keeping Jaskier's cock buried inside him as he winds tentacles around his arms, pushing them up above his head and holding them there. His hands slip down over them until they reach Jaskier's, twining their fingers together and using him as leverage to rock back onto him.

Jaskier squeezes tightly, even as sharp claws press into his skin. Heat swells within him and he knows he won't last with Geralt riding him like this, but he gives in to it, clearing his mind of everything but their bodies moving together. His head falls back, but instead of hitting the hard floor, the blow is softened by another tentacle, slipping up to cushion him.

"Can I-?" he asks and Jaskier doesn't even wait to hear what he's going to ask before nodding enthusiastically.

Beneath him, two more tentacles wrap around his thighs, squeezing tightly and pushing them apart. A third slips between, pressing against his balls and then slipping back behind, into the cleft of his ass. Jaskier squirms and rocks against it, pushing himself further into Geralt's cunt. He groans around the tentacle still in his mouth and Geralt presses against his hole and that's all it takes for Jaskier to tip over the edge.

He shakes through his orgasm, still sucking on the tentacle in his mouth, though his finesse fails as Geralt continues to rock onto his cock. Pleasure zips through him and he squeezes hard around Geralt's fingers, holding him tight as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over him. He's still shaking as Geralt clenches around him and it's so fucking good Jaskier can barely breathe.

Geralt withdraws the tentacle in his mouth and bends to kiss him, slow and soft despite Jaskier's breathlessness. It's a little uncoordinated, and Jaskier pants against his mouth, but a warmth spreads through his chest as Geralt's tongue slides against his own. He hums against him and Jaskier just lets him lead, his eyes dropping shut.

"You're beautiful," Geralt breathes as he draws away. His lips drag against Jaskier's skin and Jaskier shudders as goosebumps pop up in the wake of Geralt's mouth.

"You didn't come," Jaskier mumbles, slipping his hands into Geralt's hair. "Wanna make you come."

"And you will, but I think you need a minute or two." He wraps a tentacle around Jaskier's cock and stroking slowly. But Jaskier is soft, though it feels good when Geralt touches him again.

"Dunno if I'll get hard again," he says but he's already feeling it, the first tendrils of pleasure swirling in his gut. And he knows he can get hard again, has done it in the past, but he's already a little overwhelmed and he doesn't know if it's gonna happen tonight.

But Geralt isn't worried about that. He strokes him again, slips up and rocks against his soft cock, kissing his neck and chest and squeezing his nipples between his fingers. Geralt is persistent and it doesn't take long before Jaskier's cock swells again under his touch. Geralt shoves a hand down under himself, squeezing Jaskier's cock and kissing his mouth.

"Want you to fuck me," Geralt hums, nipping at his lip. "Wanna feel you."

"Fuck." Jaskier drops his head back as Geralt's fingers slip up over the head of his cock, his thumb pressing teasingly into the slit. "Fuck. Yeah, okay."

Geralt tugs him up and slides off of him, turning around and bending over to lean on his elbows. He sticks his hips up, moving his tentacles to the side so Jaskier can fit in between them. He does, running his hands over Geralt's hips and down his back. Tentacles wrap around him, holding him and pressing him lightly forward, slipping up over his shoulders and suctioning to his skin.

From here, Jaskier can see his hole properly and he rubs against the ridged entrance, circling it with his fingers before pushing inside. And Geralt groans at the intrusion, dropping his head shut and pushing his hips up further.

"Good?" Jaskier asks and Geralt nods.

Encouraged, Jaskier slides his fingers inside, eased by Geralt's own slickness. He works into him easily, feeling around inside and thrusting gently. Geralt groans softly, encouragingly, and Jaskier works in a little quicker, adding a third finger without any effort. He fucks into him until Geralt is panting beneath him, tentacles clenching around him and twitching.

It feels good to be able to make him feel good and Jaskier delights in the little popping feeling of suction cups against his skin as Geralt lifts his arms and replaces them, squeezing around his limbs. He moans loudly as Jaskier's pace increases and as he squirms, Jaskier realizes how close he is and he's determined to make him come with just his fingers. So he rubs into him, feeling around until he hits something that makes Geralt gasp.

He grins, dipping down to kiss Geralt's spine as he brushes against the mound again.

"Like that?" he asks.

"Fuck. Yes."

"Wanna come on my fingers?"

"If you'll still fuck me."

"Of course, my darling. I'd be delighted to fuck you. Take you apart and make you scream on my cock."

"Yes," Geralt whines, "fuck, Jaskier."

"Mmhm," Jaskier hums, "soon darling, come on."

He slides his free hand around, slipping around the base of Geralt's cock. He slips his fingers into the slit, pressing into his cock before wrapping around it and stroking slowly. Geralt bucks into the touch, gasping and moaning and with a final thrust as Jaskier presses against that spot inside him, Geralt comes.

Jaskier pulls his fingers back, now completely slick and he slides his hand over Geralt's hip, still stroking his cock even after Geralt shudders under him. Geralt seems perfectly content to fuck into Jaskier's fist, but Jaskier is impatient now, his cock hard and aching between his legs.

He wraps a hand around himself, stroking a couple of times before pressing himself against Geralt's entrance. He's still sensitive, but it feels good and as he rubs himself against the slick skin, the sensitivity gives way to pleasure.

"You feel good," he mumbles, "want you. Fuck."

"Come on," Geralt encourages. He squeezes around his thighs, nudging him forward and sucking at his skin. "Wanna feel you."

Jaskier groans and pushes in, pulling Geralt's hips against him. He curses softly as Geralt wiggles his hips and pushes deep, keeping himself steady. One tentacle slips up around the back of his neck and into his hair, tugging lightly and Jaskier snaps his hips forward hard, pulling a low groan from Geralt.

"That's it," Geralt coos, "I know you want to come again, hmm?"

Jaskier just groans as he rolls his hips forward, letting Geralt adjust before thrusting harder. And it does feel good. It feels so good and he wants more of it. He fucks into him quickly, pushing his hands down Geralt's back and pulling back again.

A tentacle slips between his cheeks, grinding against his hole but not pushing in and Jaskier rocks back onto it, groaning loudly. He's surrounded on all sides, bundled up in Geralt's limbs as he fucks him and he loves the firmness of the tentacles around him, of the warmth and slickness and he groans as his cock throbs inside him. The one around his neck teases, slipping up to press at his lips, pulling his bottom lip down and pressing between them.

The limb tightens a little, slipping around his throat to push between his lips and Jaskier barely manages to groan out a soft harder, before his mouth is otherwise occupied. Geralt seems to get the idea though, tightening his grip on his neck just a little and Jaskier's eyes nearly roll back in his head. He fucks forward almost absently, focused on the suction cups clinging to his throat and the firm weight of it around him.

And fuck, it feels amazing.

He pushes harder, changing his angle to try and hit that same spot from before and when he does it's gloriously clear. Geralt slumps against the floor, arms stretched out in front of him, whining as Jaskier aims for the same spot again, rutting ceaselessly into him. His head is foggy with lust, enhanced by the slow intake of his breath and he's creeping close before long. But he doesn't want to stop, can't bring himself to stop.

He sprawls over Geralt's back, getting a hand around his cock again and playing with the tip. He slips his fingers around and inside, drawing back to the base and pressing into his slit and Geralt whimpers delightfully with each touch.

"Gonna come-" he mumbles and it's all the warning Jaskier gets before Geralt's jerking into his hand and coming all over him. He shudders and pushes back, and as he clenches around him, Jaskier follows, coming hard and dropping against his back.

The limb around his neck slides away and he inhales deeply, mumbling softly against Geralt's bare skin. He shuts his eyes and breathes in the scent of him, surprisingly strong for someone who lives most of his life presumably in the ocean. He listens to Geralt's heartbeat under his head and smiles softly to himself.

But he doesn't have much time to relax, only enough to catch his breath before Geralt is squirming under him, wriggling free and bringing Jaskier up to lie on his chest. He runs his hands through his hair, holding him gently around the waist with two tentacles and he just looks at him. His eyes are still dark, but they're soft and fond and it's too much, so Jaskier buries his head in Geralt's neck. He already struggles with becoming too attached to people too quickly, the last thing he needs to do is wind up falling for a cecaelia who he has no hope of continuing a relationship with.

But when Geralt kisses him, he shuts his eyes with a soft sigh and it doesn't feel wrong. It should feel wrong, he realizes, sleeping with someone who isn't even human, but he supposes Geralt is more like an elf in that sense. Elves are basically human, just slightly different. Half-elves are a thing, as are quarter elves, so why should Geralt be any different.

Evidently, Geralt thinks he's thinking too much, because he pulls himself up into a sitting position, drawing Jaskier up into his lap. He's still kissing him, but he wraps his arms around his waist this time, letting his tentacles slip down to wrap around his legs, smoothing along the skin and coiling around him. As long as he lives, no rope or bond will hold him quite as nicely, as securely as Geralt does now.

Jaskier deepens the kiss, licks into his mouth despite the heaviness spreading into his limbs. His eyes are heavy and he's not sure he could get up on his own, but he doesn't want to stop, doesn't want Geralt to let him go. Not yet. So he continues kissing him, wrapping his hands around the back of his neck and running fingers through still-damp hair.

But Geralt clearly has other plans and when Jaskier feels the tip of a tentacle pressing up between his cheeks again, he can't even find it in himself to say no.

"Don't know how good I'll be," he hums, ducking to kiss the side of Geralt's neck. "'M tired."

"We can stop," Geralt says, but Jaskier shakes his head before Geralt can even pull away.

"No," Jaskier breathes, "I just- I don't know if I can make you feel good."

"You do," Geralt hums, leaning in to meet him halfway in a too-soft kiss. "Being inside you feels good, you sucking on me feels good. You feel good."

The probing tentacle presses a little more firmly, and it's dry, but Jaskier isn't complaining. Geralt pauses.

"You're not slick?" he asks and Jaskier shakes his head again.

"No, men don't- you gotta use something, it doesn't happen naturally."

Geralt hums thoughtfully and then the tentacle is slipping away and Jaskier is disappointed for a moment before it reappears, sliding smoothing against his skin before pressing in. He's slick this time and it takes Jaskier's sex-addled brain a minute to realize Geralt used his own slick and that does something to him that he can't quite explain. Geralt pulls him in close and Jaskier whimpers as the tentacle presses into him, sinking deeper than any cock has ever reached.

He holds his breath, waiting for the pain, but there's none, even as the thickness of the limb stretches him open. Geralt touches him softly, and then another tentacle is pressing at his hole and Jaskier can only whine into Geralt's chest. The second one doesn't push as deep, pressing right up against his prostate and Jaskeir doesn't think he can come again tonight, but as Geralt bumps against him, his cock twitches against his thigh.

"If we had more time," he mumbles, "I'd like to see how many can fit." Jaskier nearly loses his mind at the words so calmly spoken, and he wants to tell Geralt that he would absolutely be willing and happy to try that, but right now keeping his body upright is hard, so he just moans against him again.

"Can I fuck you?" Geralt asks and Jaskier huffs a laugh.

"'S that not what you're doing?"

"I mean with my cock," he hums, "I'd like to fuck you properly."

"Gonna have to discuss how you fuck properly if this isn't it," Jaskier mumbles, "never been so fucking full in my life." Geralt rocks up against him, breathing shakily as their cocks rub together.

"It'll be good," he breathes.

"Not saying no," Jaskier huffs, "I want you every way. Just not sure-" he gasps as Geralt thrusts deeper into him with the second tentacle "-how it could be better than this."

Slowly, carefully, Geralt slips out of him, using the same tentacles to wrap around his own cock, guiding it to Jaskier's hole as Geralt'shands slip up his back to steady him.

"Good?" he asks and Jaskier nods, shifting to adjust to the new sensation. Geralt's cock is smoother than the tentacles, thicker at the tip, and tapered and cool. When he pushes into him, Jaskier wraps his arms around his neck, holding him and shifting slowly to adjust. It's the temperature more than anything, but he likes the feeling of it inside him and he warms up soon enough.

He can't imagine how hot it is for Geralt, but it's hard to read his expression, just wide-eyed and staring as he sinks into him. As he settles another tentacle slips up his back and around his neck. Its grip remains loose, but it prods at his lips and Jaskier opens to him easily. Geralt pushes into his mouth, fucking his mouth with short, shallow thrusts as a third tentacle wraps its way around Jaskier's cock, leaving him completely engulfed.

His mind swirls with mindless thoughts of pleasure as Geralt fills him fully and wraps his way around him. He has very little movement, but he doesn't feel trapped. Instead, he just feels pleasantly held as Geralt moves under him, thrusting into him with slow, languid thrusts.

His cock is angled just so that it hits his prostate with the first thrust and doesn't stop, continually bumping against it until Jaskier is breathless and completely limp in his arms. And when Geralt dips down to kiss him, brushing damp hair out of his eyes, he's panting. He looks good like this, all dark eyes and parted lips, putting all his energy into holding Jaskier up and fucking him and Jaskier can't find the words to properly describe how Geralt makes him feel.

Then, just as he doesn't think he can get any more full, as he doesn't think he can take much more, a tentacle presses around his rim, sliding around the girth of Geralt's cock where it's buried within him.

"Please," Jaskier finds himself mumbling, "please, Geralt, I need it-"

"Shh," Geralt whispers, his voice unsteady as Jaskier squirms against him. "Let me take care of you." The tentacle presses in, winding around Geralt's cock inside him and shifting steadily.

He's so full he can hardly think, so overwhelmed and oversensitive and he can't do anything but cling to Geralt's shoulders and bury his face in his neck.

"Please," he whispers, "gonna come, please-"

He didn't think he could but his cock aches, throbs with the need to come. He needs it so bad it hurts and all he can do is grind up against Geralt as best he can in his bonds.

One of Geralt's hands comes around to hold the back of his neck and the other slips to his chest, thumb rubbing over his nipple and Jaskier very nearly comes right there. He whines and whimpers, writing amongst the mass of tentacles and Geralt kisses him hard, pinching his nipple and Jaskier thrusts into the coil of his tentacle, crying out as he comes.

Pleasure tears through him, bordering on pain as Geralt continues fucking into him, but it's so good, too good. The tentacle slips from his mouth, sliding back to cradle his head as it drops back and Geralt leans in to kiss him. He's twitching around him now, his cock snapping into him until Jaskier's seeing stars and then, with a groan against his parted lips, Geralt thrusts deep and shudders, pressing Jaskier tight against his chest.

After a moment, he continues rocking lightly, gently leaning Jaskier back so he can look at him. His expression is soft and he pulls a tentacle to take the place of his arm as he runs his fingers down Jaskier's chest.

"Feeling okay?" he asks and as Jaskier just groans softly in response, Geralt chuckles. "We've still got a few hours left until the tide is out far enough for it to be safe for you."

"Geralt," Jaskier huffs, "you're incredible, but I can't-" Geralt laughs again, dipping forward to kiss him.

It's soft and gentle and for a moment, Jaskier lets himself be drawn in, wrapping his arms around Geralt's neck. His cock brushes up against him and he whines at the sensitivity, but Geralt shifts, laying him down on the ground and slipping off to the side.

It's cold without Geralt around him and he feels suddenly very alone, but Geralt gets a hand on his hips and pulls him closer. Jaskier cuddles in, rolling onto his back with one leg slung over Geralt's.

"It's been a long time since I've had company," Geralt says, "do you mind if we just… talk?"

"That sounds lovely," Jaskier hums, "I don't think I'm up for a whole lot more than that tonight," he turns his head, flashing a grin at Geralt and earns himself a kiss for it. It worries him a little, how easily he responds to Geralt's affection, how readily he gives himself over to him. His mother always told him he'd end up hurt because of it, but he never fully understood what she meant before, but he thinks he might now.

"What would you like to talk about?"

Geralt asks many things about where he lives and what it's like there, how far it is whether Jaskier is happy there. Jaskier is happy to tell him anything he wants to know, but as time goes by, he starts to nod off, worn out from being fucked so thoroughly. Geralt just pulls him in and curls around him as he drifts, pressing his nose into Jaskier's hair.

When Jaskier wakes, Geralt is still there, breathing softly against him, though not asleep, and it only takes a moment to realize Geralt is the one who woke him.

"The tide is out if you want to go," he says softly, fingers coming up to slip through his hair.

"And if I don't?" Jaskier mumbles, shutting his eyes again and turning to throw his leg over Geralt's again, pressed against his chest.

"It'll be a while before the next tide-" he starts but Jaskier cuts him off with a grin, leaning up to kiss him softly.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to stay."

"Mm," Geralt hums, lacing his fingers with Jaskier's, "and why is that?"

"Because I like it here. I like the beach, I like the company. I'd like to get to know some of them better." Geralt scoffs, but when he rolls his eyes, his expression is fond.

"I wouldn't be… opposed to that, either."

"Good," Jaskier grins, "because I'd very much like to do this again sometime."